Abstract: A sheet feeder has a tray on which a sheet to be fed is to be placed. A lift plate is at a feeding end of the tray and has a first end at an upstream side in a feeding direction connected rotatably to the tray. The lift plate is displaceable between a feeding posture where a second end at a downstream side in the feeding direction is lifted up and a retracted posture where the second end is lower than in the feeding posture due to its own weight. A biasing member gives a biasing force to an elevating member in a direction to lift the lift plate to the feeding posture. A lowering mechanism gives a pressing force against the force of the biasing member to lower the lift plate to the retracted posture.

Abstract: An transfer belt device includes a roller support supporting transfer rollers, a cam driving shaft having a cam, the cam having capability of swinging the roller support to move the transfer rollers toward and apart from color photosensitive drums to thereby switch a transfer belt and the color photosensitive drums between a state where the transfer belt is in contact with the color photosensitive drums and a state where the transfer belt is out of contact with the color photosensitive drums, a tension roller kept in contact with a surface of the transfer belt to exert tension on the transfer belt, and a pivotal axis on which the tension roller is swingably supported, the pivotal axis being common with the cam driving shaft.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: an image forming section, provided in an apparatus body, for forming an image on a sheet; a sheet transport path for transporting the sheet to the image forming section; a closing member, openably and closably mounted to the apparatus body, for exposing the sheet transport path in an opened state thereof; a first guide unit and a second guide unit, disposed along the sheet transport path, for guiding the sheet, the first and the second guide units being operable to shift between a proximate position where the first and the second guide units are close to each other, and an away position where the first and the second guide units are away from each other; and a position shifting mechanism for shifting the position of the second guide unit in association with a shifting operation of the first guide unit.

Abstract: Disclosed is a synthetic grinding stone used for polishing of silicon wafer, which is composed of a structure comprising cerium oxide fine particles as abrasive grain, a resin as a binder, a salt as a filler and a nano diamond as an additive. This synthetic grinding stone is characterized in that the purity of the cerium oxide is not less than 60% by weight, the content of the salt as a filler is not less than 1% but not more than 20%, the volume content of the nano diamond as an additive is not less than 0.1% but less than 20% relative to the total volume of the structure, and the porosity as the volume fraction relative to the total volume of the structure is less than 30%.

Abstract: A paper sheet conveying apparatus includes: a paper sheet conveying portion that conveys a paper sheet and has an opening; a distance detection portion that projects light to a paper sheet through the opening, receives reflected light from the paper sheet, and detects a distance to the paper sheet; and a cover member that has a light projecting area portion which transmits the projected light therethrough, a light receiving area portion which transmits the reflected light therethrough, and a light block portion which is disposed between the light projecting area portion and the light receiving area portion and blocks flare light reflected by the light projecting area portion, wherein the cover member is disposed at a predetermined distance from a conveying path surface of the paper sheet conveying portion over the same side with respect to the distance detection portion.

Abstract: An transfer belt device includes a roller support supporting transfer rollers, a cam driving shaft having a cam, the cam having capability of swinging the roller support to move the transfer rollers toward and apart from color photosensitive drums to thereby switch a transfer belt and the color photosensitive drums between a state where the transfer belt is in contact with the color photosensitive drums and a state where the transfer belt is out of contact with the color photosensitive drums, a tension roller kept in contact with a surface of the transfer belt to exert tension on the transfer belt, and a pivotal axis on which the tension roller is swingably supported, the pivotal axis being common with the cam driving shaft.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: an image forming section, provided in an apparatus body, for forming an image on a sheet; a sheet transport path for transporting the sheet to the image forming section; a closing member, openably and closably mounted to the apparatus body, for exposing the sheet transport path in an opened state thereof; a first guide unit and a second guide unit, disposed along the sheet transport path, for guiding the sheet, the first and the second guide units being operable to shift between a proximate position where the first and the second guide units are close to each other, and an away position where the first and the second guide units are away from each other; and a position shifting mechanism for shifting the position of the second guide unit in association with a shifting operation of the first guide unit.