Abstract: A sheet feeding apparatus includes: a conveying roller; a separating roller which forms a nip portion by pressing the conveying roller and separates a sheet conveyed by the conveying roller one by one in the nip portion; a moving portion configured to move a stacking portion from a first position at which a sheet stacked in the stacking portion and a feeding roller are separated from each other to a second position at which the sheet stacked in the stacking portion abuts on the feeding roller; and a cover member which is movable between a third position to cover a rotation shaft of the separating roller and a fourth position to expose the rotation shaft of the separating roller, in which the cover member placed in the fourth position moves to the third position along with movement of the stacking portion from the first position to the second position.

Abstract: A sheet conveyance device includes a first conveyance member, and a drive transmission mechanism. The first conveyance member is configured to convey a sheet toward a second conveyance member. The drive transmission mechanism is configured to transmit a driving force of a driving source to the first conveyance member. The drive transmission mechanism includes a first drive transmitter and a second drive transmitter disposed coaxially with the first drive transmitter. The driving force is transmitted from the first drive transmitter to the second drive transmitter. The second drive transmitter is rotatable relative to the first drive transmitter within at least a predetermined angular range.

Abstract: A paper feeding mechanism includes a feeding path, a driving motor, a bidirectional transmission mechanism, at least one feeding roller, a unidirectional transmission mechanism and at least one blocking roller. The driving motor is controllable to output a driving force towards a forward direction or a driving force towards a reverse direction. The bidirectional transmission mechanism is connected to the driving motor. The at least one feeding roller is mounted in the feeding path. The at least one feeding roller is connected to the bidirectional transmission mechanism. The unidirectional transmission mechanism is connected to the driving motor. The at least one blocking roller is mounted in the feeding path. The at least one blocking roller is disposed to a downstream of the at least one feeding roller. The at least one blocking roller is connected to the unidirectional transmission mechanism.

Abstract: A device for separating sheet material has an actuator and a sheet material holder coupled thereto. The actuator is designed for moving the sheet material holder. The sheet material holder is designed for receiving an individual sheet material piece from a sheet material stack in which the sheet material pieces are arranged in a layered manner one above another along a vertical direction. The actuator is designed to set the sheet material holder into an oscillating rotational movement about a rotation axis that lies substantially parallel to the vertical direction, in order to receive the individual sheet material piece from the sheet material stack.

Abstract: A feeding apparatus includes a feeding member, first and second conveying members, a separation member, and drive and control units. The feeding member feeds a recording material placed on a tray. The separation member and the first conveying member form a nip portion and separates recording materials at the nip portion. The second conveying member conveys a conveyed recording material. The drive unit drives at least the feeding member. The control unit controls to feed first and second recording materials such that a second recording material front edge passes the nip portion before a first recording material rear edge passes the nip portion, and controls to stop the second recording material after the second recording material front edge has passed the nip portion such that the first recording material rear edge reaches the second conveying member before the second recording material front edge reaches the second conveying member.

Abstract: A sheet medium conveying device conveys a sheet medium in which position detection marks are provided at regular intervals in a medium conveying direction in which the sheet medium is conveyed. The sheet medium conveying device includes a controller that controls conveyance of the sheet medium. The controller selects one of a first standby position and a second standby position located downstream of the first standby position in the medium conveying direction, and conveys the sheet medium to the selected standby position and puts the sheet medium on standby.

Abstract: An image reading device includes a first roller that is rotatably supported by a frame, a second roller that is supported by the frame in a rotatable and translatable manner and that presses a medium against the first roller, a joint unit that transmits rotation from a drive shaft to the second roller, a drive unit that rotates both the first roller and the drive shaft, and a read unit configured to read an image on a conveyed medium that is conveyed by the rotation of the both of the first roller and the second roller.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus carrying a medium along a carrying path in a medium carrying direction includes a cutting part cutting the medium carried along the carrying path, a carrying part carrying and ejecting the medium cut by the cutting part, being located at downstream side from the cutting part, a medium jam detection part detecting a jamming of the medium by the carrying part, a remaining medium detection part detecting whether the medium remains in the carrying part, a recovery process selection part that selects a recovery process according to a remaining state of the medium, which is determined by the remaining medium detection part, and a controller that, when the medium jam detection part has detected the jamming of the medium, ejects the remaining medium based on the recovery process selected by the recovery process selection part.

Abstract: An apparatus for franking flat items of mail removed individually or at the underside of a supplied stack and guided in a transport direction at one side edge, includes a separating station formed from a feeder for items of mail separating device, and a downstream processing line of a franking machine, following in a conveying manner in the transport direction, for franking/printing the individual items of mail. The processing line in the transport region between feeder and the separating device of the separating station assigned to the latter includes a plurality of driven transport rollers which form a transport plane for receiving an item of mail or the respective lowest item of mail from a stack, which rollers are mounted in a frame in the transport direction of the items of mail transversely and beside one another and in the same direction and at the same peripheral speed.

Abstract: Disclosed is a corrugated paperboard box making machine which comprises a feeding control mode setting unit for setting a feeding control mode to one of a first feeding control mode for controlling a sheet feeding apparatus and a second feeding control mode for controlling the sheet feeding apparatus such that the sheet feeding operation is performed plural times during the period of time in which the printing rotor is rotated 360 degrees, and a control apparatus for controlling the sheet feeding apparatus according to the set feeding control mode. The control apparatus is operable to execute a sheet feeding stop control processing of, when the second feeding control mode is set, controlling the sheet feeding apparatus such that the sheet feeding operation is stopped at least once after execution of the sheet feeding control processing.

Abstract: A sheet conveyance device includes a shape detecting portion, and a switch control portion. The shape detecting portion detects a shape of a sheet at a detection position located between a first conveyance member and an image forming position in a sheet conveyance path. The switch control portion, when the first conveyance member is determined to be in an accelerated state where it is accelerated from a stopped state to a driven state, switches an detection interval at which the shape of the sheet is detected by the shape detecting portion, to a first interval that corresponds to a rotation speed of the first conveyance member, and when the first conveyance member is determined to be in a decelerated state where it is decelerated from the driven state to the stopped state, switches the detection interval to a predetermined second interval.

Abstract: A sheet conveyance apparatus includes a storage unit storing a sheet, a conveyance member to convey a sheet, a support shaft portion, and a separation unit. The support shaft portion has one end fixed to a main body of the sheet conveyance apparatus and the other end as a free end that is not fixed to the main body. The separation unit pinches and conveys a sheet with the conveyance member and separates a plurality of sheets stored in and fed from the storage unit one by one. The separation unit includes a separation member that is supported by the support shaft portion and rotatable with the support shaft portion, and a holding member to hold the separation member. By moving the holding member in an axial direction of the support shaft portion, the separation unit is removed from the apparatus with the holding member holding the separation member.

Abstract: A transmission device includes a driving motor, a separation roller module, a correction roller module, a discharging roller module, a first clutch, a second clutch, a third clutch and a plurality of sensors which are mounted to an automatic sheet feeder. The first clutch is disposed between the driving motor and the separation roller module. The second clutch is disposed between the driving motor and the correction roller module. The third clutch is disposed between the driving motor and the discharging roller module. The plurality of the sensors sense signal variations at the time of a leading end or a tail end of each of the documents passing through the plurality of the sensors, and the plurality of the sensors transmit the signal variations to the first clutch, the second clutch and the third clutch.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides a drive transmission apparatus capable of reducing vibration of rotating member. The apparatus includes a shaft, a pin, and a rotating member. The rotating member is engaged with the shaft by the pin and rotates with the shaft. A protruded portion is provided on one of an outer circumferential surface of the shaft and an inner circumferential surface of the rotating member. The rotating member is attached to the shaft with the protruded portion in pressure contact with another one of the outer circumferential surface of the shaft and the inner circumferential surface of the rotating member, so that swinging of the rotating member around the pin is restricted.

Abstract: A feeding apparatus includes a feeding member, first and second conveying members, a separation member, and drive and control units. The feeding member feeds a recording material placed on a tray. The separation member and the first conveying member form a nip portion and separates recording materials at the nip portion. The second conveying member conveys a conveyed recording material. The drive unit drives at least the feeding member. The control unit controls to feed first and second recording materials such that a second recording material front edge passes the nip portion before a first recording material rear edge passes the nip portion, and controls to stop the second recording material after the second recording material front edge has passed the nip portion such that the first recording material rear edge reaches the second conveying member before the second recording material front edge reaches the second conveying member.

Abstract: There is provided a feed apparatus including a support unit, a feed roller, a swingable arm to support the feed roller, a guide unit, a movable member movable to a retracted position and a protruding position at which the movable member can abut against the sheet supported by the support unit, a driving source, driving transmission units; and a contact-separating mechanism to move the feed roller to a separated position and an abutment position at which the feed roller abuts against the sheet supported by the support unit. In a state in which the movable member is the protruding position and the feed roller is the separated position, a time required to start feeding of the sheet by the feed roller moved from the separated position to the abutment position is longer than a time required to shift the movable member from the protruding position to the retracted position.

Abstract: A medium supplying apparatus includes a control unit. The control unit executes: a first control in which, in a case where a double feed detecting sensor detects a double feed of media, rotation drive of a separator roller is stopped, and a retard roller is caused to convey the media to an upstream side in a conveying direction; and a second control in which, after the execution of the first control, the rotation drive of the separator roller is restarted, and, in a case where the double feed detecting sensor detects a double feed of the media, a conveying load applied is set to be higher than that at the time of detecting the double feed before the execution of the first control, the rotation drive of the separator roller is stopped, and the retard roller is caused to convey the media to the upstream side in the conveying direction.

Abstract: A paper sheet handling apparatus has a pickup roller, a stage, a pressure sensor, and a measuring unit. For each feeding process, in which the pickup roller feeds paper sheets until the pressure detected by the pressure sensor becomes less than a predetermined set value, the stage presses paper sheets against the pickup roller until the pressure detected by the pressure sensor reaches another set value. The pickup roller operates at a feeding speed of a first speed if a calculated feeding value is less than a threshold, and operates at a feeding speed of a second speed that is slower than the first speed if the calculated feeding value is equal to or greater than the threshold, the calculated feeding value being calculated based on: the amount of movement of the stage measured by the measuring unit; and the number of paper sheets fed by the feeding process.

Abstract: A contact interface includes a first contact member including a first contact surface with a first material subsurface and a second material subsurface. The second material subsurface protrudes transversely above the first material subsurface. A second contact member includes a second contact surface to slide in contact with the first contact surface. The first material subsurface comprises a first material. The second material subsurface comprises a second material. The second material has a lower hardness than the first material.

Abstract: A driving mechanism includes a first gear mechanism, a motion conversion mechanism, an actuator, and a mechanical clutch. The mechanical clutch includes an input gear that includes a plurality of engaging portions engageable with a displaced portion on a first position. The mechanical clutch switches to a connected state and a non-connected state corresponding to whether or not the engaging portions each engage with the displaced portion of the actuator. The connected state is a state where the rotational power of the first gear mechanism is transmitted to the motion conversion mechanism. The non-connected state is a state where the rotational power of the first gear mechanism is not transmitted to the motion conversion mechanism. The plurality of engaging portions are formed on a plurality of positions within a range of a default center angle less than 180 degrees in a circumferential direction of the input gear.

Abstract: A paper sheet handling apparatus (banknote handling apparatus 100) includes: a housing 12; a transport path forming member 711 disposed inside the housing and configured to form a transport path that transports paper sheets while sandwiching each paper sheet in a direction of the thickness of the paper sheet; and a handing unit (non-bundling stacker module 54) disposed at a predetermined position inside the housing. When jamming of paper sheets occurs in the middle of the transport path, the transport path forming member is displaced so as to open the transport path, in a state where the inside of the housing is opened by an opening and closing unit being opened. The handling unit disposed adjacent to the transport path is movable from the predetermined position so as to form a space that allows the transport path forming member to be displaced.

Abstract: A paper separation mechanism includes a separation roller assembly, a one-way clutch module, a transmission gear assembly connected with and driving the one-way clutch module, a driving motor for driving the transmission gear assembly, and a locking module. The separation roller assembly includes a separation shaft, a separation roller fastened around the separation shaft, and a pickup roller disposed to the separation roller. The one-way clutch module includes a gear shaft, and a one-way clutch mounted around the gear shaft. The locking module includes a swing arm, a hooking portion fastened to a bottom of the swing arm, a blocking portion fastened under the swing arm, and a spring disposed to the bottom of the swing arm. One side of the swing arm is fastened to the gear shaft, the other side of the swing arm is fastened to the separation shaft.

Abstract: A sheet separating apparatus includes a stacker having a sheet supporting surface, a separation roller rotating around a first shaft center parallel to a width direction of the sheet supporting surface, contacting a sheet fed from the stacker and conveying the sheet to a downstream side in a conveyance direction perpendicular to the width direction, a separation piece facing the separation roller and separating the sheet one at a time in cooperation with the separation roller, the separation roller and the separation piece nipping the sheet at a first nip position, and a pinch roller provided on an upstream side with respect to the first nip position and abutting on the separation roller to be rotatable around a second shaft center parallel to the width direction, the pinch roller having a portion overlapping the separation piece as seen from the width direction.

Abstract: A feeding apparatus includes a stacking member provided to a feeding cassette, a feeding member, a contact portion provided on a regulating member provided on the feeding cassette, a movement unit, and a switching unit. The movement unit raises the feeding member when the feeding cassette is pulled out and lowers the feeding member when the feeding cassette is inserted. The switching unit switches a positional relationship between the feeding and stacking member. After the feeding member is lowered and before the feeding member performs a sheet feeding operation, the switching unit switches the relationship to the second positional relationship from the first. When a stacked sheet amount is equal to or more than a predetermined amount, the contact portion is disposed in contact with the stacked sheets and when the amount is smaller than the predetermined amount, the contact portion is disposed not in contact with the stacked sheets.

Abstract: An automatic document feeder includes: a recording-medium set unit, on which a recording medium is set; a recording-medium set detecting unit that detects whether the recording medium is set on the recording-medium set unit; a conveying unit that conveys the recording medium; a sheet-feeding cover section that constitutes part of the conveying unit and that includes an openable and closable sheet feeding cover; and a control unit that separately receives a power-on signal, which is output when a power source of an image forming device including the automatic document feeder is turned on, and an energy-saving return signal, which is output when a return is made from an energy saving state where a power source of part of the device is disconnected. When the power-on signal is received, the control unit performs an initialization operation to initialize each unit of the automatic document feeder.

Abstract: There is provided a feed apparatus including a support unit, a feed roller, a swingable arm to support the feed roller, a guide unit, a movable member movable to a retracted position and a protruding position at which the movable member can abut against the sheet supported by the support unit, a driving source, driving transmission units; and a contact-separating mechanism to move the feed roller to a separated position and an abutment position at which the feed roller abuts against the sheet supported by the support unit. In a state in which the movable member is the protruding position and the feed roller is the separated position, a time required to start feeding of the sheet by the feed roller moved from the separated position to the abutment position is longer than a time required to shift the movable member from the protruding position to the retracted position.

Abstract: An items processing apparatus for placement and singulation of flat items has a placement device and a feed deck and a separation device. A portion of the placement device is arranged below the placement deck of the apparatus. The feed deck has an opening for an separation roller, and a portion of the separation device arranged above the feed deck. This portion and the separation roller form a gate of the separation device for the singulation of a stack of flat items. A control computer controls the placement device and separation device. The placement device is equipped for edge alignment of a stack of flat items with different formats and has at least two transport elements, which enable an automatic displacement of the stack transverse to the transport direction and placement of the stack at an alignment wall, as well as a transport of the stack in the transport direction toward the feed deck of the separation device, as well as a displacement of the stack counter to the transport direction.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus including a movement mechanism includes a first arm assembly including a first arm configured to pivot about a first pivot axis between a retracted position and a protruding position, the first arm being biased toward the protruding position and extending away from the first pivot axis in a first direction and a second arm configured to rotate between a restriction position in which the second arm engages the first arm, and a releasing position in which the second arm is separated from the first arm, the second arm configured to rotate from the restriction position to the releasing position in a direction away from the first arm, and a guide including a guide surface extending in the first direction, the guide surface configured to contact the first arm situated in the protruding position and a protruding guide configured to contact and move the second arm.

Abstract: A separation member separates a sheet, conveyed by a separation roller in a conveying direction, from remaining sheets supported by a support member. At least one of a first guide and a second guide is a movable guide which moves in a width direction orthogonal to the conveying direction to increase and decrease a distance therebetween. An urging member is retained, at one end thereof, by a base portion in an elastically deformed state and urges the separation member toward the separation roller. In response to the movable guide decreasing the distance between the first guide and the second guide, an engaging mechanism reduces elastic deformation of the urging member by moving the base portion in a first direction. In response to the movable guide increasing the distance, the engaging mechanism moves the base portion in a second direction opposite to the first direction.

Abstract: A sheet conveyer including a sheet support, a pickup roller, a separator roller, a holder, a guide, an urging member, and a contact section is provided. The holder is swingable and supports the pickup roller rotatably. The guide is attached to the holder and movable to swing relatively to the holder along with a swing movement of the holder. Urging force from the urging member acts on the guide to move toward a first position with respect to the holder. The contact section contacts a contacting part in the guide to restrict, the contacting part from being moved along with the swing movement of the holder. The guide is movable relatively to the holder from a position closer to the first position toward a position closer to a second position against the urging force from the urging member and allows the holder to further move toward the uppermost position.

Abstract: A medium carrying device that carries a medium includes a first roller, a second roller, a rotation transmitting part that drives its rotation by a driving force transmitted from a driving force source, and moves between at a transmitting position and at a releasing position, at the transmitting position, the rotation transmitting part transmits the driving force to the first roller, at the releasing position, the rotation transmitting part does not transmit the driving force, a transmission releasing part that is connected to the rotation transmitting part. When the medium is bowed between the first and second rollers, the transmission releasing part moves the rotation transmitting part from the transmitting position to the releasing position according to the bowing of the medium.

Abstract: A paper feeding device that includes, in a drive transmission mechanism to a paper feeding roller that delivers paper, a drive member provided on an apparatus body side as a member to transmit torque in a given direction for delivery of paper from a conveying motor to the paper feeding roller and a driven member provided on the paper feeding roller side. By relatively rotating the drive member and the driven member to form a coupling state of the members before an instruction to start the delivery of paper is output, the rotation of the paper feeding roller is started without a time lag when the instruction to start the delivery of paper is output.

Abstract: In sheet conveying device, first pair of rollers, driven by first driving motor, conveys sheet on conveyance path that passes image forming portion that forms image on the sheet. Second pair of rollers, driven by second driving motor, conveys the sheet on the conveyance path together with the first pair of rollers. Speed difference calculating portion calculates speed difference between speed related to sheet conveyance speed of the first pair of rollers and speed related to sheet conveyance speed of the second pair of rollers. The motor control portion determines target speeds respectively for the first driving motor and the second driving motor based on the speed difference calculated by the speed difference calculating portion, and performs control during non-image formation period so that driving speeds of the first driving motor and the second driving motor respectively become the target speeds.

Abstract: A feeding apparatus includes a stacking member provided to a feeding cassette, a feeding member, a contact portion provided on a regulating member provided on the feeding cassette, a movement unit, and a switching unit. The movement unit raises the feeding member when the feeding cassette is pulled out and lowers the feeding member when the feeding cassette is inserted. The switching unit switches a positional relationship between the feeding and stacking member. After the feeding member is lowered and before the feeding member performs a sheet feeding operation, the switching unit switches the relationship to the second positional relationship from the first. When a stacked sheet amount is equal to or more than a predetermined amount, the contact portion is disposed in contact with the stacked sheets and when the amount is smaller than the predetermined amount, the contact portion is disposed not in contact with the stacked sheets.

Abstract: A sheet conveyor including a separation roller, a separation pad, an urging member urging the separation pad, and a feed roller unit disposed downstream relative to the separation roller in a conveyance direction, the feed roller unit including a first outer circumferential surface disposed on a first side in a width direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction, a second outer circumferential surface disposed on a second side opposite to the first side in the width direction, and a concave portion disposed between the first and second outer circumferential surfaces in the width direction, the concave portion being recessed inward in a radial direction of the first and second outer circumferential surfaces from the first and second outer circumferential surfaces, an urging member being disposed upstream relative to the concave portion in the conveyance direction and disposed between the first and second outer circumferential surfaces in the width direction.

Abstract: A sheet conveyer, comprising: a sheet support surface; a first roller to convey sheets; a second roller to separate one by one the sheets; a holder to be swingably supported about a swing center axis, wherein the first roller is attached to the holder to be rotatable; and a pressing unit to press the first roller toward the sheet support surface, wherein the pressing unit is disposed between a first portion of the holder and a second portion opposite to the sheet support surface with respect to the holder, the pressing unit is configured to press the first portion to move away from the second portion, and the pressing unit and the first roller are disposed not to overlap with each other in regard to an axis direction of the first roller.

Abstract: A paper staging mechanism includes a picking mechanism, a separating mechanism and a detecting mechanism. The picking mechanism picks up papers and further transmits the papers rearward. The separating mechanism separates the papers from the picking mechanism and further transmits the separated paper rearward. The detecting mechanism is mounted to rear of the picking mechanism and the separating mechanism. The separated paper by the separating mechanism co-working with the picking mechanism passes rearward through the detecting mechanism. The detecting mechanism detects a relative distance between two adjacent papers which successively pass through the detecting mechanism so as to control the picking mechanism to adjust transmission speed of the papers for achieving a fixed distance between two adjacent papers.

Abstract: A sheet feeding device selectively transmit a driving force transmitted to a double gear type driving gear to a first reverse gear to rotate a retard roller in a direction opposite to a rotation direction of a forward roller such that various kinds of sheets having different friction forces are separated and supplied, and an image forming apparatus including the same.

Abstract: A sheet feeder includes a casing, a sheet stacking portion, a sheet conveyance path, a feed roller, a separation pad, a holder, a mounting portion and a guiding member. The sheets are placed on the sheet stacking portion and fed in a predetermined direction in the sheet conveyance path. A nip portion, through which the sheet passes, is formed between the feed roller and the separation pad. The holder fixedly supports the separation pad and is mountable into and removable from the mounting portion of the casing. The guiding member guides the holder. The posture of the holder is changeable between a first posture in which a predetermined clearance is formable between the guiding member and the holder when the holder is mounted into the mounting portion and a second posture in which the holder is pressed against the guiding member when the sheet passes through the nip portion.

Abstract: A medium overlapped-feed preventing may include a feed roller which is structured to abut with the information recording medium and carry the information recording medium; a separation roller oppositely disposed to the feed roller and is urged toward the feed roller and is rotated in the same direction as the feed roller for separating overlapped information recording media which are carried in an overlapped-feed state; and a gate mechanism provided with a gate part through which one piece of the information recording medium is capable of being passed but two pieces of the information recording medium in an overlapped state are unable to be passed. The gate part may disposed on a downstream side in a sending-out direction of the information recording medium with respect to an imaginary line which is formed by connecting a rotation center of the feed roller with a rotation center of the separation roller.

Abstract: A conveying device includes: opposed first and second rollers disposed to a first path; a roller holder supporting the second roller and movable between a first position where the second roller contacts the first roller and a second position where the second roller is spaced apart from the first roller; and opposed first and second guide members defining a second path merged with the first path. The first guide member is movable between a third position where the first guide member is spaced apart from the second guide member at a predetermined distance and a fourth position where their distance is less than the predetermined distance. The first guide member includes a guide portion for contacting and moving the roller holder from the first position to the second position in response to movement of the first guide member from the third position to the fourth position.

Abstract: A sheet transport device includes a transport roller which transports a sheet, a cover which covers the transport roller, a pinch roller attached to the cover via a shaft facing the transport roller, and a regulation member projecting from a facing surface, facing the transport roller, of the cover and configured to regulate a movement of the shaft in an extending direction of the shaft. The regulation member includes a surface which extends along the extending direction of the shaft, a first end portion fixed to the cover, and a second end portion which faces an end face of the shaft, and is located closer to the end face of the shaft than the first end portion in the extending direction of the shaft.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method and apparatus for separating a media item from a bunch of media items. The apparatus comprises at least one first roller located on a first side of a transport path along which a media item is transported and at least two further rollers located on a further side of the transport path opposite the first side, said at least two further rollers being spaced apart to receive a portion of said at least one first roller therebetween, wherein in an advance mode of operation said first and further rollers rotate in the same direction and in a reject mode of operation said first and further rollers rotate in opposite directions.

Abstract: A sheet conveying device includes a sheet conveying path, a first conveying roller pair, a second conveying roller pair and a sheet guiding member. The sheet conveying path conveys a sheet in a first direction, and then, conveys the sheet in a second direction. The first conveying roller pair conveys the sheet in the first direction. The second conveying roller pair is located at a downstream side from the first conveying roller pair to convey the sheet to the second direction from the first direction. The sheet guiding member is located between the first conveying roller pair and second conveying roller pair so as to advance and retreat to the sheet conveying path, and then, in an advance state, to come into contact with a sheet face of the sheet conveyed while being bridged across the first conveying roller pair and second conveying roller pair.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus including an electrophotographic process is disclosed. The image forming apparatus detects a load angle of a motor associated with conveying of an n-th sheet. In accordance with the detected load angle, current values for motors associated with conveying of the n-th sheet, a current value for a motor associated with feeding of sheets following the n-th sheet, and a current value for a motor associated with conveying of the sheets following the n-th sheet are set. Such control is executed when power is turned ON or the like.

Abstract: An image recording apparatus, including: a drive source rotatable forwardly and reversely; a first roller rotatable in a first direction by the forward rotation of the drive source to convey a conveyed medium and rotatable in a second direction reverse to the first direction by the reverse rotation of the drive source; a recording device; a second roller; a first power transmitter which transmits a first-direction driving power to the second roller and not to transmit a second-direction driving power to the second roller, wherein the first-direction driving power is a rotational driving power of the first roller rotating in the first direction, and the second-direction driving power is a rotational driving power of the first roller rotating in the second direction; and a second power transmitter which transmits the second-direction driving power to the second roller and not to transmit the first-direction driving power to the second roller.

Abstract: A medium feeding apparatus includes an opening unit (a lock shaft, a lock arm, a hopper, a link member, and a rotating member) that performs an opening operation in a direction in which rollers coming into press contact with each other on a conveying path for a medium are separated from each other when a conveyance error of the medium occurs. An error release operation control unit of a controller controls the opening unit by switching whether an opening operation is performed to the degree of opening in which a conveying roller and a driven roller are separated from each other or an opening operation is performed to the degree of opening in which a separating roller and a braking roller are separated from each other, according to an entering distance of the medium on the conveying path.

Abstract: A sheet feeder including a sheet container on which sheets are placed, a transfer roller to transfer the sheets to an image forming unit via a transfer path; a friction pad to transfer the sheets together with the transfer roller; and a movable portion provided on the transfer path to alter a direction of the transfer path based on the sheets.

Abstract: A sheet transport device includes a shaft member that extends in an axial direction orthogonal to a sheet transport direction, and a roller that includes plural components which are assembled together so as to surround the shaft member. The components have a shape such that a joint between the components is formed on an outer peripheral surface of the roller which is formed by assembling the components together. The joint extends from one end to another end of the outer peripheral surface in the axial direction while bending or curving at least at a portion in the middle thereof.

Abstract: A sheet conveying device including: a separating roller; a separating piece; and conveying rollers. The separating roller conveys each sheet along a predetermined conveying path in a conveyance direction. The separating piece provides a first nip position in cooperation with the outer peripheral surface of the separating roller for nipping a sheet or sheets therebetween. The conveying rollers are provided at positions downstream of the separating roller in the conveyance direction and provide a second nip position where the sheet is nipped therebetween for conveying the sheet conveyed by the separating roller in the conveyance direction. An imaginary flat plane is defined by connecting the first nip position and the second nip position. The separating piece has a portion positioned downstream of the first nip position and protruding toward the separating roller beyond the imaginary flat plane.