Abstract: The present invention is directed to providing to an align module of a medium deposition device which is capable of reducing a time to align a medium and improving reliability of medium alignment and allows a structure of a device for the medium alignment to be simplified.

Abstract: A sheet transportation device includes a sheet loading table, a feeding unit that feeds a sheet placed on the sheet loading table, a first detection unit that is provided downstream of the feeding unit in a sheet transportation direction and that detects a position of a leading end of the sheet, a second detection unit that is provided upstream of the feeding unit in the sheet transportation direction and that detects a position of a leading end of a small-size sheet which is smaller than the sheet detected by the first detection unit, and a control unit that starts feeding the sheet based on a result of detection performed by any of the first detection unit or the second detection unit in accordance with a size of the sheet.

Abstract: An image reading apparatus includes a rotatable feeding member, an image portion, a feeding guide, a first driven rolling member, and a second driven rolling member. The first driven rolling member and a second driven rolling member provided downstream of the first driven rolling member with respect to a sheet feeding direction are provided in overlapping directions as seen in an axial direction of the rotatable feeding member and are provided in non-overlapping directions as seen in the sheet feeding direction.

Abstract: An image reading device includes: a first reading unit that is provided at an intermediate position of a transport path and that reads an image of a document transported on the transport path; and a transport unit that is disposed on the transport path further upstream than the first reading unit and that transports the document to the first reading unit. The transport unit includes a third driving roller and third driven rollers that hold the document between the third driving roller and the third driven rollers. The third driving roller is provided on a frame main body, and the third driven rollers are provided on a holder member. When a cover is displaced from a closed position to an open position, the holder member is moved so as to separate the third driven rollers from the third driving roller.

Abstract: A clutch device includes a sector gear, a cam, an electromagnetic solenoid, a first lever, a second lever, a first spring, and a second spring. The cam includes a slide portion. The first lever engages with the electromagnetic solenoid and includes a first restricting portion. The second lever includes a hook and a second restricting portion. The first spring is configured to urge the second lever in a direction in which the first restricting portion and the second restricting portion contact each other. The second spring is configured to, when the electromagnetic solenoid is in a de-energized state, move the first lever. The slide portion of the cam has a surface configured to, when the electromagnetic solenoid is in an energized state, press the hook in a direction opposite to an urging direction of the first spring such that the second restricting portion is separated from the first restricting portion.

Abstract: A conveyance apparatus includes a separation unit configured to separate and convey a sheet, a detection unit configured to detect a height-direction deformation of the sheet passing through the separation unit on a downstream side of a sheet-conveying position of the separation unit in a conveyance direction of the sheet, and a control unit configured to stop the sheet conveyed by the separation unit if the detection unit detects the deformation of the sheet.

Abstract: A sheet feeding device includes a stacking unit for stacking a sheet; a feeding member for feeding the sheet stack on the stacking unit; a holding member holding the feeding member; a holder supporting portion, provided above the stacking unit, for detachably supporting the holding member; a raising and lowering unit for raising and lowering the holding member; a detection unit for detecting a topmost surface of the sheet stacked on the stacking unit, by detecting the holding member; a control unit for effecting raising and lowering operation of the holding member using the raising and lowering unit before a feeding operation of the feeding member and detect presence or absence of the holding member on the basis of a signal from the detection unit produced with the raising and lowering operation.

Abstract: A sheet conveying apparatus, including: a sheet container; a roller; an arm rotatably supporting the roller; and a presser plate for pressing sheets in the container, wherein distal and basal portions of the presser plate define a bend angle when bent, the bend angle being an angle defined on one side of the presser plate farther from the arm, the bend angle being maintained at an obtuse angel in a first-amount loaded state of the container, and wherein a contact angle of the arm and the sheets at a contact position thereof is smaller than a maximum angle from a maximally loaded state to the first-amount loaded state, the maximum angle being an angle defined by: the basal portion in the maximally loaded state; and the arm whose roller contacts the presser plate in the maximally loaded state when assumed that the sheets are not loaded on the presser plate.

Abstract: Provided is a photo printer including: a base adapted to accommodate paper therein; a pickup roller protruding from the bottom of the base to feed the paper accommodated in the base forwardly; a platen roller disposed in front of the base to discharge the paper fed by the pickup roller forwardly; a head located above the platen roller to apply given heat to the paper; a swing bracket having a mounting portion formed at the front side thereof in such a manner as to be coupled to the head and coupling portions formed at the rear side thereof in such a manner as to be rotatably coupled to the base to allow the head to swing; and pressurizing means adapted to pressurize the head downwardly to allow the head to come into close contact with the paper advancing into the space between the head and the platen roller.

Abstract: A transport device includes an abutting member that abuts a leading end of a transport object and transport members that are disposed upstream of the abutting member in a transport direction and transport the transport object to the abutting member. The transport object is a first or second transport object. One of the transport members or the transport members transport the first transport object and cause the leading end of the first transport object to abut the abutting member. When transporting the transport object to a position where the leading end of the transport object abuts the abutting member, a transport force required to transport the second transport object is larger than that required to transport the first transport object. A larger number of transport members are used to transport the second transport object than the number of the transport members used to transport the first transport object.

Abstract: A sheet conveyance apparatus includes a sheet conveyance path, a sheet feeding member, a driving mechanism, a stopper, an interlocking portion, a cover member, and an evacuation mechanism. The stopper is configured to change a posture between a projection posture and an evacuation posture. The projection posture is configured to project into the sheet conveyance path so as to prevent the sheet to be loaded on a sheet loading portion from abutting on the sheet feeding member. The evacuation posture is configured to evacuate the stopper from the sheet conveyance path. The evacuation mechanism is configured to: change the stopper to have the evacuation posture, or to be in a posture changeable state where the stopper changes from the projection posture to the evacuation posture by application of external force, in conjunction with a change of the cover member from a closed state to the open state.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an endless belt, an image forming unit configured to form an image on the recording medium conveyed by the endless belt, a guide surface configured to guide a first surface of the recording medium to the endless belt, a pressing portion configured to press a center portion, in a width direction perpendicular to a conveyance direction, of a leading end of the recording medium from a second surface toward the guide surface, a moving portion disposed upstream relative to the pressing portion in the conveyance direction and configured to contact the recording medium and move according to a pressing force to be applied from the recording medium, and a transmission portion configured to transmit movement of the moving portion to the pressing portion and reduce a pressing force of the pressing portion in accordance with the movement of the moving portion.

Abstract: A sheet conveyance apparatus comprising: a sheet conveyance path; a loop forming unit that is disposed on the sheet conveyance path and bends, in a loop, the sheet to be conveyed; and a guide unit that is stepwise high at both sides whereas low at the center, as viewed in a sheet conveyance direction, and extends in the sheet conveyance direction, wherein the sheet sagging in the loop by the loop forming unit enters a guide region being defined between opposite guide faces of paired steps in the stepwise guide unit and having a width according to the width of the sheet, so that the side edges of the sheet abut against the guide faces, thus correcting the skewing of the sheet in the sheet conveyance direction.

Abstract: A sheet sender 21A includes a lift plate 21P, a feed roller 21B and a registration roller 23. A biasing spring 21S applies an upward force onto the lift plate 21P. The lift plate 21P is moved upward by eccentric cams 60 which are arranged at axial ends of the feed roller 21B and rotationally driven by arm protrusions 211 which have come in contact with the eccentric cams 60. A rotational driving force is transmitted to a feed gear 220 and a registration gear 231 from a main gear 70 to rotate the feed roller 21B and the registration roller 23. A gear of the main gear 70 that engages with the feed gear 220 is idly rotatable within a predetermined angle with respect to a gear that engages with the registration roller 23.

Abstract: A paper feed unit for a printer to form an image on a print paper by an image former, the paper feed unit including: a paper feed tray that stacks print papers to be fed; a paper transfer route that transfers print papers; a register roller that is provided upstream of the image former in a paper transfer direction in the paper transfer route and holds a fed print paper to adjust a timing to transfer the fed print paper to the image former; a pick-up roller that transmits a print paper stacked in the paper feed tray to the register roller, the pick-up roller being smaller in width than a width of a print paper to be transmitted; and a regulator that comes into contact with a loose portion of a print paper loosened in a paper feed route in between the pick-up roller and the register roller.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus comprises an image-forming part; a paper feeding part; a resist part; a rotating body; a detector for detecting the arrival of paper at the resist part; a timer part for measuring a measurement time from when feeding of a second sheet of paper from the paper feeding part is begun to when the detector detects the arrival of the second sheet of paper, and a sheet interval time from when the detector detects the passage of a first sheet of paper immediately preceding the second sheet of paper to when the arrival of the second sheet of paper is detected; and an identifier part for referring to the measurement time, a reference measurement time, the sheet interval time and a reference sheet interval time, and deciding the paper feeding part advancing or delaying the paper feed start timing.

Abstract: An automatic document feeder includes a paper pick-up device, a transfer roller assembly, and a duplex feeding channel. The transfer roller assembly includes a shaft, a first roller, a second roller, a first idler, a second idler, and a power-coupling device. When the power-coupling device is connected with the shaft and the first roller for transmitting a paper, the first roller is driven to be rotated by the shaft. When the front edge of the paper is moved to the second roller, the first roller is driven to be rotated at a higher speed by the paper. Consequently, a power connection between the first roller and the shaft is released by the power-coupling device. Then, the first roller reaches a static status in order to correct the skew phenomenon of a next paper.

Abstract: A sheet is fed to a registration roller pair by a separation-feeding unit formed by a sheet feeding roller and a separation portion, and is caused to abut a nip portion of the registration roller pair at rest to form a loop in the sheet. Then, when the registration roller pair rotates at a predetermined timing to convey the sheet, a pressurization plate is raised again to bring the sheet into press contact with the sheet feeding roller to thereby impart a conveyance force to the sheet, making it possible to feed the sheet reliably to the registration roller pair.

Abstract: An automatic document feeder includes a paper pick-up device, a transfer roller assembly, and a duplex feeding channel. The transfer roller assembly includes a shaft, a first roller, a second roller, a first idler, a second idler, and a power-coupling device. When the power-coupling device is connected with the shaft and the first roller for transmitting a paper, the first roller is driven to be rotated by the shaft. When the front edge of the paper is moved to the second roller, the first roller is driven to be rotated at a higher speed by the paper. Consequently, a power connection between the first roller and the shaft is released by the power-coupling device. Then, the first roller reaches a static status in order to correct the skew phenomenon of a next paper.

Abstract: In order to provide a sheet conveying apparatus and an image forming apparatus capable of alleviating a bumping noise generated between a sheet and an inner guide member when the sheet passes through a curved sheet conveying path, a pair of intermediate conveying rollers is arranged in positions corresponding to both lateral sides in a width direction of the feeding roller and subsidiary feeding roller in a sheet conveyance direction. In addition, the subsidiary intermediate conveying roller abuts on the intermediate conveying roller with an inclination such that the sheet conveyance force is directed to the center of the sheet conveying path in a width direction. As a result, the sheet makes contact with the inner guide member of the facing guide member of the sheet conveying path by undulating the sheet in a width direction when the sheet is extracted and conveyed by the pair of intermediate conveying rollers.

Abstract: An image reading apparatus is provided. The image reading apparatus includes a main unit and a conveyer unit swingably coupled to the main unit via a hinge. The conveyer unit includes a lower cover with an opening, which extends orthogonally to a swing axis of the conveyer unit, and an attachable member. The attachable member includes a main part and an auxiliary part and is fixed to the lower cover by the main part and to a rotatable fixing section of the hinge by the auxiliary part.

Abstract: In a recording medium conveyer, a driver drives a feeding member and a conveying member provided downstream from the feeding member in a recording medium conveyance direction independently. A controller stops driving the feeding member when a first time period elapses after a recording medium reaches the conveying member. When a selector judges that the thickness of the recording medium identifies the recording medium as thin paper, the controller does not drive the feeding member after the controller starts driving the conveying member, and when the selector judges that the recording medium has a thickness greater than a thickness of the recording medium that identifies the recording medium as thin paper, the controller restarts driving the feeding member no later than when the controller starts driving the conveying member.

Abstract: A paper feeding device for feeding a sheet of printing paper to a printing position of a printing apparatus in order to print the paper is disclosed. The paper feeding device includes a paper tray that stores plural sheets of the paper, a transport unit that transports the paper from the paper tray to the printing position, a guide unit that is provided to adjust a guide width in accordance with the width of the paper which is substantially perpendicular to a feeding direction of the paper transported by the transport unit, and to guide the paper which is transported from the paper tray by the transport unit.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for contacting a flexible sheet to a first element with improved lateral alignment. The method includes a step of measuring a first lateral misalignment after establishing a first contact between the flexible sheet and either of the first element and a sheet parking surface called anchor in the first stage. If the 5 misalignment exceeds a predetermined threshold the flexible sheet is parked at the anchor such that it is not in contact with the first element, and the relative position of the first element and the anchor is altered during the second stage for correcting the mismatch during a contact between the flexible sheet and the first element to be established within the next step of the method. During the steps of shifting the contact point to obtain the second stage 10 the contacting process is more accurate and reproducible than the process for establishing the initial contact.

Abstract: A feeding device includes a feeding roller and a pair of transport rollers. The feeding roller picks up stacked recording medium and feeds the recording medium downstream direction. The pair of transport rollers transport the fed recording medium to a recording section. The feeding roller is provided so as to be capable of contacting a separating unit that separates the overlapped recording medium with plural. Between a contact point of the feeding roller and the separating unit and a nip point of the pair of transport rollers, a first tangent line does not intersect a second tangent line. The first tangent line is situated at the contact point of the feeding roller and the separating unit. The second tangent line is situated at the nip point of the pair of transport rollers.

Abstract: A sheet feed assembly with a pair of rollers to feed sheets of media along a feed path. The roller pair has a drive roller and an idler roller. The drive roller is mounted between two bearings and for rotation about its longitudinal axis. The idler roller is shorter than the drive roller and is held against the drive roller by two guide formations and at either end. The guide formations bias the idler roller against the drive roller while allowing some lateral displacement of the idler roller from the drive roller.

Abstract: A medium feeding device includes a feed roller pair, a transport roller, a medium guiding path section, and a controller. The feed roller pair includes a feed driving roller driven by power and a feed driven roller to be rotationally driven, and feeds a medium to be fed toward the downstream side in a feed direction. The feed driving roller and the feed driven roller are separated from each other. The transport roller pair transports the medium, which is fed by the feed roller pair, toward the downstream side in the feed direction. The transport roller pair includes a transport driving roller that is disposed on the downstream side of the feed roller pair in the feed direction and is driven by power and a transport driven roller that is rotationally driven.

Abstract: There is provided a transporting apparatus which includes a pair of transporting rollers including drive and driven rollers; a transporting path including a curved portion which changes a transporting direction of the transporting medium; a movable member which is changeable to a first attitude forming an outer side of the curved portion to guide the transporting medium, and a second attitude opening the curved portion not to form the outer side of the curved portion. The movable member has a guiding portion which guides the transporting medium between the pair of transporting rollers, in the first attitude, and a positioning portion which positions the guiding portion with respect to a shaft of the drive roller in the first attitude, and which is separated from the shaft of the drive roller in the second attitude.

Abstract: To provide an image forming apparatus that can highly accurately position and convey, even if an inter-sheet distance of sheets to be conveyed is reduced, the sheets from registration rollers to a transfer position when a toner image on an image bearing member moving at process speed is transferred onto the sheet in the transfer position. A sheet fed from a paper feeding cassette by a pulse-motor driven paper feeding roller is conveyed to pulse-motor driven registration rollers by pulse-motor driven conveying rollers. When the sheet is conveyed to the transfer position according to restart of the registration rollers, the sheet is conveyed by the registration rollers at sheet conveying speed different from the process speed before the leading end of the sheet reaches the transfer position and is conveyed at the process speed after that.

Abstract: A medium feeding device includes a medium feeding unit that feeds a medium by contacting the medium, a separating unit that presses the medium against the medium feeding unit to separate the medium from subsequent media, and a conveying unit that conveys the medium having been separated by the separating unit. A first guide member is provided between the medium feeding unit and the conveying unit, and configured to guide a surface of the medium on the medium feeding unit side. A second guide member provided is so as to face the first guide member, and configured to guide the medium. The first guide member has a guide protruding portion that protrudes toward the second guide member.

Abstract: A sheet processing apparatus includes an opening/closing member which is turnably supported by an apparatus body and through which a user accesses the apparatus, and a conveying guide which is movably supported by a user access door and which includes a sheet conveying surface. When the opening/closing member is opened in a state where a sheet remains on the sheet conveying surface, the conveying guide is separated from the opening/closing member by the remaining sheet.

Abstract: A sheet feed device includes: a sheet accommodation unit; a separation roller that applies conveyance force to sheets; and a separation resistance body including a friction portion facing the separation roller for separating the sheets one at a time. The sheet accommodation unit includes a guide portion provided at an upstream of the separation roller in a sheet feed direction for guiding the sheet. The separation resistance body includes an extension portion, which is pressed toward the separation roller while being supported to be contacted/separated to/from the separation roller, and which is extended upstream in the sheet feed direction from an upstream end portion of the separation resistance body. The guide portion and the extension portion are arranged in a line in a width direction. An upstream end portion of the extension portion is retreated with regard to a guide surface of the guide portion when feeding the sheets.

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 sheet feeder includes a stacker that accommodates multiple sheets of recording media, an elevation unit disposed in a downstream portion of the stacker in a sheet feeding direction and which ascends to lift a leading edge portion of the sheet in the sheet feeding direction, a rotary feeding member disposed facing the elevating unit and forming a nip in which the leading edge portion of the sheet is clamped together with the elevation unit when the elevation unit ascends, and a guide unit disposed adjacent to an outer circumference of the feeding member, facing an upper side of the leading edge portion of the sheet. The guide unit guides the leading edge portion of the sheet toward the nip between the feeding member and the elevation unit.

Abstract: A sheet processing system capable of performing lateral shift correction of a sheet in an upstream sheet processing apparatus based on an amount of lateral shift to be caused by conveying thereof into a downstream sheet processing apparatus. A side edge sensor of a stacker detects a lateral shift amount of a sheet conveyed into the stacker. A stacker controller corrects lateral shift of the sheet by a shift unit. A side edge sensor of a finisher disposed downstream of the stacker detects a lateral shift amount of a sheet conveyed into the finisher. The finisher sends the detected lateral shift amount to the stacker. The stacker receives the lateral shift amount from the finisher, and the stacker controller corrects lateral shift of subsequent sheets based on both the lateral shift amount detected in the stacker and the lateral shift amount sent from the finisher.

Abstract: To achieve a high-speed feeder, improvement of a rotational rate is required similarly in a feed motor and a conveyance motor, resulting in high costs. Moreover, in simultaneous control of paper feed and discharge, improvement of a conveyance rate leads to a high discharge rate to deteriorate alignment of discharged paper sheets. To solve the problems, the rate of the feed roller is set higher than the rate of the conveyance roller. The rate of the feed roller is determined based on the rate of the conveyance roller and an allowable amount of a loop formed by a rate difference between the two rollers. In the simultaneous control of paper feed and discharge, a distance between pages is detected by a sensor to determine whether the distance is sufficient, from the relation between current feed and conveyance rates. In the case of insufficient distance, the conveyance roller is stopped.

Abstract: In a recording medium conveyer, a driver drives a feeding member and a conveying member provided downstream from the feeding member in a recording medium conveyance direction independently. A controller stops driving the feeding member when a first time period elapses after a recording medium reaches the conveying member. When a selector judges that the thickness of the recording medium identifies the recording medium as thin paper, the controller does not drive the feeding member after the controller starts driving the conveying member, and when the selector judges that the recording medium has a thickness greater than a thickness of the recording medium that identifies the recording medium as thin paper, the controller restarts driving the feeding member no later than when the controller starts driving the conveying member.

Abstract: A system for registering print media includes a media tray configured to hold a plurality of sheets of print media, a pick assembly configured to pick a sheet of the print media from the media tray and route the sheet to a media path, and a registration assembly positioned in the media path after the pick assembly. The registration assembly is configured to sense the sheet in the media path and operate for a predetermined time based on an amount of the print media in the media tray to register the sheet in the media path such that the predetermined time increases as the amount of the print media in the media tray decreases.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an external gear to which a rotating force of a resist gear is transmitted, a ratchet for transmitting a rotating force from the external gear to a paper feed roller or releasing the transmission, and a ratchet arm having a claw engaged with the ratchet to transmit a rotation of the external gear, thereby rotating the paper feed roller, and a claw engaged with a slit provided on a boss of the paper feed roller to turn the paper feed roller toward a rotation start position and removing the claw from the ratchet to stop the paper feed roller, and the boss is provided with an offset bottom peripheral surface to be moved with the claw entering to stop the rotation of the paper feed roller when a resist sensor detects a tip of a recording paper.

Abstract: A paper sheet counting apparatus includes a hopper; a transport mechanism that feeds the paper sheets to a transport path one by one, and transports the paper sheets along the transport path; a sensing unit including a counting sensor for counting the paper sheets; and a stacker. The transport mechanism includes a drive roller constituting an inside of a turn portion for changing a direction of the transport path; pinch rollers that biases the paper sheet against the drive roller; and a turn guide plate arranged between the pinch rollers to guide the paper sheet along an outer periphery of the drive roller. The turn guide plate is formed such that a front edge of the paper sheet transported to the turn portion is guided to a contact portion between a pinch roller arranged on a downstream side and the drive roller.

Abstract: An automatic document conveyance device, include a paper guide which has a slot formed by cutting off a part of a conveyance surface for guiding a document; a conveyance unit which inserts in and detach from the slot; wherein the conveyance unit further comprising: a motor which generates driving force; a motor holding part which holds the motor; a driving roller which conveys a document; a drive transmission mechanism which transmits the driving force generated by the motor to the driving roller via a driving roller shaft; and a fitting part which fits the conveyance unit into the slot so that one surface of the conveyance unit forms the conveyance face.

Abstract: A common driving source transmits a drive force to a driving unit that drives a feeding unit and a conveying unit. The driving source is a motor that rotates in either of a normal direction and a reverse direction. The feeding unit includes a mechanical drive-blocking mechanism in its driving sequence. The conveying unit includes a two-system driving sequence and a mechanical drive-blocking mechanism in the driving sequence so as to rotate in one direction regardless of a rotating direction of the driving source. A reduction ratio of each driving sequence in the conveying unit is identical.

Abstract: A medium containing cassette includes: a container case for containing media; a stack plate movable in the container case and configured to stack the media thereon; a separator provided on the container case and configured to separate the media one by one; and a bias member configured to bias the stack plate toward the media stacked on the stack plate. The bias member is disposed to have a greater distance from the stack plate than the separator, in a direction from the stack plate to the separator, on a plane substantially perpendicular to a bias direction of the bias member.

Abstract: A sheet feeding device includes an inner guide member and an outer guide member that define a sheet feeding path therebetween. The sheet feeding device also includes an engaging member positioned adjacent to one of the inner guide member and the outer guide member, and a receiving portion positioned at the other one of the inner guide member and the outer guide member. The engaging member moves between an engaged position to engage the receiving portion and a disengaged position to disengage from the receiving portion. The inner guide member is selectively connected to the outer guide member via the engaging member and the receiving portion. When the engaging member contacts the sheet in the sheet feeding path, the engaging member is in the disengaged position, and when the engaging member is separated from the sheet in the sheet feeding path, the engaging member is in the engaged position.

Abstract: A sheet conveying device includes a feed tray including a bottom plate configured to hold a sheet, a feed roller configured to feed the sheet in a first direction from the feed tray to a first conveying path, and a pressing member configured to press the sheet in the feed tray against the bottom plate of the feed tray. The pressing member includes a contact portion configured to contact the sheet in the feed tray, and a first guide positioned at a downstream end of the pressing member in the first direction. The first guide extends between the downstream end and the contact portion obliquely with respect to the bottom plate, such that a distance between the bottom plate and the first guide increases along the first direction. The first guide is positioned upstream of the feed roller in the first direction.

Abstract: A drive switching mechanism includes a transmission gear and a planetary gear configured to transmit a drive from an input gear to an output gear. The drive switching mechanism further includes a swinging member configured to hold the planetary gear such that the planetary gear can swing around the input gear, a retaining unit configured to retain the swinging member in a swing enabled or disabled state, and a releasing unit configured to disengage the planetary gear from the output gear and cause them to be spaced apart. The output gear includes a toothless part that does not engage with a gear section engaging with the transmission gear.

Abstract: A sheet material feeding apparatus has a rotatable pressure plate for stacking sheet materials, a pickup roller for feeding the sheet material stacked on the pressure plate, a feed roller for feeding the sheet materials fed by the pickup roller and a separation roller contactable with the feed roller. A registration roller corrects oblique feeding of the sheet material by being abutted against the separated sheet material by the feeding roller and the separation roller, and after the registration roller rotates in synchronism with the pickup roller and the feed roller to start feeding the sheet material, pressure of the pressure plate against the pickup roller is released, and thereafter the feed roller and the separation roller are spaced apart from one another.

Abstract: A medium feeding device includes a feed roller pair, a transport roller, a medium guiding path section, and a controller. The feed roller pair includes a feed driving roller driven by power and a feed driven roller to be rotationally driven, and feeds a medium to be fed toward the downstream side in a feed direction. The feed driving roller and the feed driven roller are separated from each other. The transport roller pair transports the medium, which is fed by the feed roller pair, toward the downstream side in the feed direction. The transport roller pair includes a transport driving roller that is disposed on the downstream side of the feed roller pair in the feed direction and is driven by power and a transport driven roller that is rotationally driven.

Abstract: There is provided a feeding device including a pickup roller for picking up a placed medium to be transported and transporting the medium at a downstream side in a transport direction, a guide pathway for guiding the medium transported by the pickup roller, a transport driving roller that is driven by a power of a driving source and that transports the transported medium at the further downstream side in the transport direction, a retard roller that is moved to be brought into contact with and separated from the transport driving roller and that is rotated with a predetermined load.

Abstract: A sheet processing apparatus includes an aligning member and a shift conveying unit. The aligning member is movable in a width direction perpendicular to a sheet conveying direction and presses a sheet stack loaded on a sheet processing tray so as to align the sheet stack in the width direction. The unit is provided on the upstream side of the tray and conveys a sheet, shifting the sheet in the width direction. Being shifted by the unit, sheets are loaded at first and second loading positions on the tray. When sheets are loaded at the first loading position, the aligning member is moved to a first standby position corresponding to the first loading position in advance. When sheets are loaded at the second loading position, the aligning member is moved in advance to a second standby position corresponding to the second loading position.