Abstract: A sheet-material feeding device individually separating and sequentially feeding a bundle of sheets of a sheet material mounted on a sheet-material mount. The device includes a detector for detecting the presence of the sheet material on the sheet-material mount, and a pressing member for pressing the sheet material on the sheet-material mount when the presence of the sheet material has been detected by the detetector. A sheet-mounting angle of the sheet-material mount can be changed so that an upstream portion of the bundle of sheets is lower than a portion where the sheets are separated.

Abstract: A process cartridge detachably mounted to an image forming apparatus includes a frame, an image bearing member, a cleaning portion provided between the frame and the image bearing member, an inner wall provided between the frame and the cleaning portion, a first opening portion provided between the frame and the inner wall at an upper part of the process cartridge, and a second opening portion provided between the frame and the inner wall at a lower part of the process cartridge. A cartidge air flow will be created by moving air from the second to the first openings. In addition, a main body air flow is created adjacent the cartidge air flow.

Abstract: An apparatus for transporting a sheet includes a first transporting path provided with rollers for transporting the sheet to an image forming section, a second transporting path for conducting the sheet in a direction transverse to the first transporting path, and a control section for controlling the first and second transporting paths so that they can be connected and disconnected to each other.

Abstract: The present invention provides an image forming apparatus having an image forming portion, means for feeding a sheet material to the image forming portion and a re-feeding path for re-feeding the sheet on which an image is formed at the image forming portion to the image forming portion again. The image forming apparatus comprises a manual sheet feed inlet formed in the front side of said image forming apparatus; a manual sheet insertion path for directing a sheet material manually inserted into the manual sheet feed inlet to the re-feeding path, the manual sheet insertion path being arranged substantially perpendicular to the re-feeding path; and a feeding means for feeding the manually inserted sheet material directed to the re-feeding path to the image forming portion.