Abstract: In a sheet creaser, when a sheet is conveyed to a folding unit by a conveyer unit, the folding unit folds the sheet and a pressing unit presses the folded sheet by sliding in a direction substantially perpendicular to a sheet conveying direction. A switching unit switches the conveyer unit between a first position to convey the sheet and a second position unable to convey the sheet. A driving unit drives both the switching unit and the pressing unit.

Abstract: A sheet aligning device includes a transport path, a movable fence, a tapping tab, and jogger fences. The transport path transports a sheet stack. The movable fence and the tapping tab align the sheet stack in a first direction in which the sheet stack is transported on the transport path. The jogger fences align the sheet stack in a direction perpendicular to the first direction on the transport path. The movable fence, the tapping tab, and the jogger fences align the sheet stack according to a plurality of aligning modes.

Abstract: A sheet post-processing apparatus includes a sheet stacking unit, a moving member, and a discharging member. The moving member moves up the pile stacked on the sheet stacking unit to one of a plurality of scooping positions, and the discharging member receives the pile from the moving member at the one of the scooping positions and scoops up the pile by supporting a bottom edge of the pile for discharging the pile out of the sheet stacking unit.

Abstract: A sheet alignment mechanism includes a stacking tray on which a sheet or sheet bundle transported along a sheet transport path is stacked, a pair of side fences that are movable in a sheet width direction and align edges of the sheet or sheet bundle, stacked on the stacking tray, in the sheet width direction, a single drive source that moves the side fences, and detecting units that detect home positions of the respective side fences.

Abstract: A pressing unit presses vicinity of a trailing edge of a stack of sheets stacked in a tray. An aligning unit aligns the stack of sheets stacked in the tray. A stapling unit binds the stack of sheets aligned by the aligning unit. A discharging unit discharges the stack of sheets bound by the stapling unit. A control unit controls the pressing unit to keep a constant distance from a surface of a top sheet of the stack of sheets when the discharging unit discharging the stack of sheets.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit that forms an image on a recording medium; a conveying unit that conveys the recording medium on which the image is formed; a crease forming unit that performs a crease forming process on the conveyed recording medium; a determining unit that determines whether or not the recording medium is a predetermined recording medium; and a control unit that prohibits the crease forming process from being performed by the crease forming unit when the determining unit determines that the recording medium is the predetermined recording medium.

Abstract: A pressing unit includes a pressure roller that slides on the folded side while rotating, an elastic biasing unit that presses the pressure roller in a thickness direction of the stack of sheets, and a driving unit that slides the pressure roller in a direction substantially perpendicular to a conveying direction of the stack of sheets. A lifting unit, when the pressure roller slides to a first position, temporarily lifts up the pressure roller, and when lifted-up pressure roller slides to a second position, lifts the lifted-up pressure roller down onto the folded side.

Abstract: A sheet conveying device includes entrance rollers and registration rollers. The entrance rollers convey a sheet received from delivery rollers to the registration rollers. The registration rollers correct skew of the sheet. A conveying path between the delivery rollers and the registration rollers is equal to or slightly longer than a length of a sheet in a maximum allowable size for skew correction in a conveying direction in which the sheet is conveyed on the conveying path.

Abstract: A stepping motor driving device drives a stepping motor according to a drive pulse of a step signal. A phase matching unit matches, at a time when there is a possibility that a rotor and a phase signal are out of phase with each other, phases of the rotor and the phase signal by applying at least one drive pulse after energizing the stepping motor for a predetermined time and applying a phase signal having a predetermined duration for a final pulse.

Abstract: An aligning unit aligns a front end of a sheet bundle stacked in a tray in a discharging direction. A sheet bundle conveying unit holds a rear end of the sheet bundle and conveys the sheet bundle in the discharging direction. The aligning unit is arranged to be retracted from a conveying path of the sheet bundle after aligning the front end of the sheet bundle and to come out in the conveying path of the sheet bundle behind the sheet bundle conveying unit after a movement of the sheet bundle conveying unit.

Abstract: A sheet processing device includes a stapling tray, a rear-end clamp, and a stapler that staples sheets while the rear-end clamp is clamping the sheets. In response to a start signal, the stapler moves to a position where the stapler does not interfere the rear-end clamp while being closest to a stapling position. When the last sheet of a sheet bundle to be stapled is conveyed into the stapling tray, timing at which the stapler moves to the stapling position is determined according to a preset condition.

Abstract: A sheet finisher for performing preselected processing with a sheet or a sheet stack conveyed thereto of the present invention includes a cutter unit configured to cut the sheet or the sheet stack in a direction perpendicular to a direction of sheet conveyance. A guide member is positioned upstream of the cutter unit in the direction of sheet conveyance for guiding the sheet or the sheet stack being conveyed. A moving device moves the guide member in a direction parallel to the direction of sheet conveyance.

Abstract: A sheet conveying device includes a conveying unit that conveys a sheet in a sheet conveying direction; a measuring unit that measures a position of a side edge of the sheet in a measurement area; a shielding unit having an end portion that is projected into the measurement area for shielding the sheet; a first determining unit that determines whether the shielding unit is detectable in the measurement area; and a second determining unit that determines whether the measuring unit has been mounted in the sheet conveying device based on a result obtained in the first determining unit.

Abstract: A sheet processing apparatus includes a sheet stacking member for temporarily receiving a sheet conveyed thereto and stacking the sheet thereon and a conveyance unit for outputting the sheet stacked on the sheet stacking member therefrom, wherein the conveyance unit includes a sheet output face having a predetermined acute angle with respect to a sheet stacking face of the sheet stacking member and configured to output a stack of sheets by touching a back end of the stack of sheets and pushing the stack of sheets.

Abstract: A folding unit folds a sheet. A pressing unit presses a folded side of the folded sheet. A driving unit causes the pressing unit to slide in a direction perpendicular to a sheet conveying direction. A control unit independently sets number of slides at which the pressing unit is to slide on each of a plurality of sections of the folded side depending on a distance of each of the sections from a reference position, and controls the driving unit so as to slide in each of the sections for the number of slides set for that section.

Abstract: A sheet processing apparatus for an image forming apparatus is configured so as to be capable of preventing the misalignment of the end edge of sheets to be scooped and transported from an intermediate tray, and reliably preventing the so-called displacement of end edges in the post-processing steps of sheets as a recording medium with an image formed thereon, and thereby preventing the inferior appearance during binding. A sheet folding apparatus enables a user to easily adjust the misalignment of the fold line of sheets that occurs during actual use, in the middle folding processing steps of sheets as a recording medium with an image formed thereon.

Abstract: A sheet aligning apparatus includes an alignment surface formed in a planar shape and that presses an end of a sheet to move and align the sheet; and a holding unit that holds the end of the sheet at a position contacting the alignment surface in a state that a curled end of the sheet contacts the alignment surface and the sheet is thus pressed.

Abstract: A sheet conveying device includes a first conveying path configured to pass a sheet of a recording medium (e.g., paper) therethrough to a sheet processing device, a second conveying path branched from the first conveying path and configured to temporarily store the paper sheet conveyed therein, a sheet conveying mechanism configured to selectably convey the paper sheet in one of forward and backward directions to the sheet processing device, a guide member mounted at a branch point of the first and second conveying paths and configured to guide the paper sheet when the paper sheet is conveyed in the backward direction by the sheet conveying mechanism to the second conveying path, and a control unit configured to control the sheet conveying mechanism to change a distance between the branch point and the sheet conveying mechanism according to a length of the paper sheet in a forward sheet conveying direction.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit to form an image on a sheet of recording media, an image reading unit to read image data of an original document, disposed above the image forming unit, a sheet discharge space defined by the image reading unit and the image forming unit and disposed therebetween, a discharge port formed in a first inner side wall of a main body of the image forming apparatus, through which the sheet is discharged into the sheet discharge space, a positioning member to position and detachably mount a positioning member to position and detachably mount an auxiliary unit adjacent to the discharge port in the sheet discharge space.

Abstract: A sheet processing apparatus includes a first processing unit, a second processing unit, a roller, a guide member, and a conveying unit. The first processing unit applies first processing to a recording medium. The second processing unit applies second processing to the recording medium. The roller has a conveying path to convey the recording medium from the first processing unit to the second processing unit along the outer circumference. The guide member guides the recording medium to the conveying path to lead the recording medium to the second processing unit. The conveying unit applies a conveying force to a stack of recording media at an upstream of the guide member in a recording-medium conveying direction.