Abstract: A path switcher is provided at a point where a transport path along which a medium is to be transported branches out into a first branch path and a second branch path that are to be switched between by the path switcher. The path switcher includes: a switching component including a first arm and a second arm, the first arm being swingable at the point of branching of the transport path, the second arm being connected to a distal end of the first arm with an aid of a motion-allowing part, the switching component being configured to close one of the first branch path and the second branch path while opening an other of the first branch path and the second branch path; an elastic retaining component provided around the motion-allowing part and configured to elastically retain the first arm and the second arm in a predetermined positional relationship; and a rotary component rotatably provided at a distal end of the second arm and that is to come into contact with the medium.

Abstract: A sheet transport device includes: a curved sheet transport path; multiple transport roller pairs disposed in the sheet transport path; multiple driving sources that drive the multiple transport roller pairs; multiple load detectors that detect the loads of the multiple driving sources; and a control unit that controls the driving speed of at least one of the driving sources such that detection results obtained by the load detectors are within a predetermined range in accordance with the position of the leading end of a sheet.

Abstract: A medium transport device includes a guide configured to guide a medium on which an image is recorded, and curved along a transport direction of the medium, and an actuator configured to actuate the guide between a contact position where the guide is in contact with the medium and a separation position where the guide is separated from the medium. The guide is configured to move to the contact position until a leading edge of the medium in the transport direction passes along the guide, and move to the separation position after the leading edge of the medium in the transport direction has passed along the guide.

Abstract: A sheet transport device includes: a curved transport path for a sheet; and multiple endless belt pairs arranged along the transport path and having transport surfaces that are in contact with each other.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit that forms an image on a recording medium, a reversal transport unit that reverses front and back sides of the recording medium having an image formed by the image forming unit, and then transports the recording medium to the image forming unit, a detection unit disposed in a transport path of the reversal transport unit to detect the position of the recording medium in a transverse direction transverse to a transport direction, the transport direction being the direction of transport of the recording medium, and an adjustment unit that adjusts the position of an image in the image forming unit in accordance with the position of the recording medium detected by the detection unit.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit that forms an image on a recording medium, a reversal transport unit that reverses front and back sides of the recording medium having an image formed by the image forming unit, and then transports the recording medium to the image forming unit, a detection unit disposed in a transport path of the reversal transport unit to detect the position of the recording medium in a transverse direction transverse to a transport direction, the transport direction being the direction of transport of the recording medium, and an adjustment unit that adjusts the position of an image in the image forming unit in accordance with the position of the recording medium detected by the detection unit.

Abstract: A sheet transport device includes a transport path along which a sheet is transported in one direction; a sheet butting portion provided at one side of the transport path; a sheet rotating section; and a sheet butting section. When a short sheet is transported along the transport path, the sheet rotating section rotates the short sheet such that a leading end is directed to the other side of the transport path, and when a long sheet is transported, the sheet rotating section rotates the long sheet such that an angle of inclination with respect to the one direction is reduced. The sheet butting section moves the short sheet rotated by the sheet rotating section toward the one side to make the side edge of the short sheet butt against the sheet butting portion, while allowing the long sheet to pass therethrough without moving the long sheet toward the one side.

Abstract: A sheet conveying device includes: a conveyance path along which a sheet is conveyed; a plurality of butting target members that are arranged beside and alongside the conveyance path and against which a side edge of a sheet being conveyed along the conveyance path is caused to butt; and a butting device that causes the side edge of the sheet to butt against the butting target members by moving, toward the butting target members, the sheet being conveyed along the conveyance path using a plurality of sheet conveying structures that are deviated from each other in a sheet conveying direction, and two or more of the butting target members are located downstream of a sheet conveying structure that is located second in the upstream direction from a most downstream one among the plurality of sheet conveying structures.

Abstract: A sheet transport device includes a transport path along which a sheet is transported in one direction, the sheet being transported with a corner at a leading end of the sheet being located on a first lateral side of the path, a sheet rotating section that rotates the sheet so as to increase an angle of the sheet and so as to orient the leading end, a sheet moving section that moves the sheet toward the first lateral side, and plural sheet butting portions that are arranged side-by-side in the one direction, on the first lateral side, the sheet butting portions allowing the moved sheet to be butted thereagainst to orient the sheet in the one direction. When the sheet is butted against the sheet butting portions to be oriented in the one direction, the corner is located at a position where no sheet butting portions are provided.

Abstract: A sheet transport device includes a transport path along which a sheet is transported in one direction; a sheet butting portion against which a side edge of the sheet on the transport path is butted, the sheet butting portion being provided at one side of the transport path; a butting section that moves the sheet toward the one side to butt the side edge against the sheet butting portion; and a sheet rotating section located on the upstream side of the butting section in a sheet transport direction, the sheet rotating section having two sheet transport parts provided so as to be shifted from each other in a direction intersecting the one direction, at least one of the sheet transport parts being configured to have a variable sheet transport speed, the sheet rotating section rotating the sheet by utilizing a difference in transport speed between the two sheet transport parts.

Abstract: A sheet transport device includes a transport path along which a sheet is transported in one direction, the sheet being transported with a corner at a leading end of the sheet being located on a first lateral side of the path, a sheet rotating section that rotates the sheet so as to increase an angle of the sheet and so as to orient the leading end, a sheet moving section that moves the sheet toward the first lateral side, and plural sheet butting portions that are arranged side-by-side in the one direction, on the first lateral side, the sheet butting portions allowing the moved sheet to be butted thereagainst to orient the sheet in the one direction. When the sheet is butted against the sheet butting portions to be oriented in the one direction, the corner is located at a position where no sheet butting portions are provided.

Abstract: A sheet transport device includes a transport path along which a sheet is transported in one direction; a sheet butting portion provided at one side of the transport path; a sheet rotating section; and a sheet butting section. When a short sheet is transported along the transport path, the sheet rotating section rotates the short sheet such that a leading end is directed to the other side of the transport path, and when a long sheet is transported, the sheet rotating section rotates the long sheet such that an angle of inclination with respect to the one direction is reduced. The sheet butting section moves the short sheet rotated by the sheet rotating section toward the one side to make the side edge of the short sheet butt against the sheet butting portion, while allowing the long sheet to pass therethrough without moving the long sheet toward the one side.

Abstract: A sheet transport device includes a transport path along which a sheet is transported in one direction; a sheet butting portion against which a side edge of the sheet on the transport path is butted, the sheet butting portion being provided at one side of the transport path; a butting section that moves the sheet toward the one side to butt the side edge against the sheet butting portion; and a sheet rotating section located on the upstream side of the butting section in a sheet transport direction, the sheet rotating section having two sheet transport parts provided so as to be shifted from each other in a direction intersecting the one direction, at least one of the sheet transport parts being configured to have a variable sheet transport speed, the sheet rotating section rotating the sheet by utilizing a difference in transport speed between the two sheet transport parts.

Abstract: A sheet conveying device includes: a conveyance path along which a sheet is conveyed; a plurality of butting target members that are arranged beside and alongside the conveyance path and against which a side edge of a sheet being conveyed along the conveyance path is caused to butt; and a butting device that causes the side edge of the sheet to butt against the butting target members by moving, toward the butting target members, the sheet being conveyed along the conveyance path using a plurality of sheet conveying structures that are deviated from each other in a sheet conveying direction, and two or more of the butting target members are located downstream of a sheet conveying structure that is located second in the upstream direction from a most downstream one among the plurality of sheet conveying structures.

Abstract: A transport mechanism includes a transport path along which a recording medium is transported, a contact member with which a leading end of the recording medium, which is to be transported along the transport path, is brought into contact, the contact member being capable of moving to a contact position at which the leading end of the recording medium is brought into contact with the contact member or to a retracting position at which the contact member retracts from the transport path, a transport member that transports the recording medium, which has been brought into contact with the contact member, to downstream in a transport direction of the recording medium while rotating in a normal direction, and a rotational force transmission member that transmits a rotational force of the transport member to the contact member and causes the contact member to move to the contact position or the retracting position.

Abstract: A medium conveying device includes an alignment member, a skew conveying member, and a removal member. The alignment member faces one end of a medium and aligns the medium while contacting with the medium when the medium is conveyed in a first direction. The skew conveying member conveys the medium in a second direction crossing to the first direction so that the one end comes in contact with the alignment member and that includes a drive member and a driven member opposed to the drive member and driven by the drive member. The removal member has a tip end coming in contact with a face of the drive member to remove a deposit on the face. The removal member is placed along a rotation direction of the drive member so that the tip end faces downstream of the rotational direction.

Abstract: A transport mechanism includes a transport path along which a recording medium is transported, a contact member with which a leading end of the recording medium, which is to be transported along the transport path, is brought into contact, the contact member being capable of moving to a contact position at which the leading end of the recording medium is brought into contact with the contact member or to a retracting position at which the contact member retracts from the transport path, a transport member that transports the recording medium, which has been brought into contact with the contact member, to downstream in a transport direction of the recording medium while rotating in a normal direction, and a rotational force transmission member that transmits a rotational force of the transport member to the contact member and causes the contact member to move to the contact position or the retracting position.

Abstract: A reversing transporting device includes a transport-in path, a first transporting section provided at the transport-in path, a second transporting section provided at the transport-in path, a reversing path connected to the transport-in path, a third transporting section provided at the reversing path, a transport-out path connected to the reversing path, a fourth transporting section provided at the transport-out path, and a fifth transporting section provided at the transport-out path.

Abstract: An airflow diffuser including a blade wheel that includes blade members, spoke members and a hub member supporting the spoke members, and that is located so that air blown out from an air outlet of an air conditioner comes in contact over a path of rotation of the blade members, a shaft member forming an axis of rotation of the blade wheel. The blade wheel is capable of being freely rotated by at least just the air that is blown out from the air outlet.

Abstract: An image forming system includes an image forming unit, a feeding unit, a side edge reversal unit, a leading edge reversal unit, and a control unit, wherein, when there is a request for image formation on a bundle of sheets including a special sheet having a special part at an edge so that the edge is not straight and there is a request for image formation on both surfaces of the special sheet, the control unit controls the feeding unit, the image forming unit, the side edge reversal unit, the image forming unit to transport the special sheet having the image of the preceding page formed thereon to the downstream side after the front and back of the sheet are reversed by the leading edge reversal unit.