An image reading apparatus includes a medium support section that supports a medium before feeding, a reading section that reads the medium that feeds from the medium support section, a transport roller that is disposed upstream of the reading section and transports the medium to the reading section, and a load applying device that applies a load against rotation of the transport roller. The transport roller is disposed on a rotating shaft that extends in a medium width direction that intersects the medium transport direction, and the load applying device imparts the load by pressing a transport roller driving gear that is disposed at one end of the rotating shaft in a direction from the one end of the rotating shaft to the other end thereof.

A sheet conveying apparatus includes first and second drive sources, first and second driving units, each including a respective first or second roller to convey a sheet, an operating unit, and a switching unit to switch a state of the sheet conveying apparatus between a first state in which the first driving unit and the second driving unit are not connected to each other and a second state in which the first driving unit and the second driving unit are connected to each other. A first drive source driving force drives the first driving unit. A second drive source driving force drives the second driving unit. The operating unit rotates when manually operated. In the second state, operating unit rotation is transmitted to the first driving unit to rotate the first roller, and operating unit rotation is transmitted to the second driving unit to rotate the second roller.

There is provided an ink-jet printer including: a recording head; a motor; a conveying section; a switching mechanism switching transmittance of driving force of the motor; and a controller. The switching mechanism includes first and second gears. Under a condition that the controller determines that a set value of an execution parameter is a first value, the controller rotates the motor in clockwise and counterclockwise directions just for a first number of times in a process of moving the first gear from a second position to a first position; whereas under a condition that the controller determines that the set value of the execution parameter is a second value, the controller rotates the motor in the clockwise and counterclockwise directions just for a second number of times, smaller than the first number of times, in the process of moving the first gear from the second position to the first position.

The present disclosure is in one aspect to a dispenser for rolled sheet materials. The dispenser includes a feed roller that is rotatably mounted to a housing of the dispenser housing, and that is configured to feed a predetermined amount of sheet material from the supply of sheet material through a discharge provided along the housing of the dispenser. The dispenser also has a feed roller drive assembly with a drive motor, and a belt transmission assembly. The belt transmission assembly has a drive belt coupled to the drive motor and to the feed roller such that rotation of the feed roller is driven by operation of the drive motor.

A rope based fall protection device including a rotation unit, a brake unit, and a rope. A first end of the rope is connected to the rotation unit. The rope includes a first rope loop and a second rope loop that are wound around the rotation unit. A first retaining portion of a retaining ring is sleeved on the first rope loop and a second retaining portion thereof is sleeved on the second rope loop, such that the rope forms a rope section which has a fixed length between the second retaining portion and the first end and is wound around the rotation unit. When a free end of the rope is pulled by an external force to release the rope wound around the rotation unit in a direction away from the rotation unit, the retaining ring is broken to release the rope section of the rope. The external force is greater than or equal to a pulling force generated by a user's free fall. By releasing the rope section of the rope, the rotation unit rotates and simultaneously drives the brake unit to rotate to slow down or stop the rotation of the rotation unit.

A medium processing apparatus includes a receiving and dispensing port, a discriminating unit, a temporary storage, a reject cassette in which an abnormal medium temporarily stored in the temporary storage and a carried abnormal medium among media being withdrawn are collected and stored, a plurality of recycling cassettes configured to store media to be withdrawn, a first driving unit configured to drive a carrying path between an outlet of the discriminating unit and each of the receiving and dispensing port and the temporary storage, a second driving unit configured to drive a carrying path between an inlet of the discriminating unit and an inlet of the reject cassette and be a belt-roller type, and a third driving unit configured to drive a carrying path between the inlet of the reject cassette and each of inlets of the plurality of recycling cassettes and be a belt-guide type.

An image forming system has a transmission assembly, standard and auxiliary sheet feeders, standard and auxiliary trays, an image forming device and a controller. The transmission assembly is for switching transmission of a drive force of a motor selectively to the one of the standard and auxiliary sheet feeders. The controller determines whether sheet is absent in the standard tray. The controller, based on determining the sheet is absent in the standard tray and receipt of preceding data, control the transmission assembly to initiate to switch the transmission of the drive force to the auxiliary sheet feeder. Also the controller, based on receipt of control data received after preceding data, control the image forming device to form an image based on the control data.

A vacuum wheel for transporting a substrate includes a fixed conduit that is connectable to a suction source. A vacuum surface on a circumference of the vacuum wheel includes vacuum openings that are distributed around the circumference, such that rotation of the wheel causes the vacuum openings to successively fluidically connect to the fixed conduit. When suction is applied to the fixed conduit, suction is applied to one or more of the vacuum openings that are currently fluidically connected to the fixed conduit. At least one contact surface on the circumference of the vacuum wheel is adjacent to, and extends outward beyond, the vacuum surface. When suction is applied to the vacuum openings, the substrate is drawn toward the vacuum surface so as to contact the contact surface without contacting the vacuum surface, creating a friction force that enables transport of the substrate when the wheel rotates.

A stacking apparatus for value documents, having a stack deposit device and a braking device which is arranged along the transport path of the value documents immediately before the stack deposit device. On the transport shaft of the braking device at least one driving roller is firmly mounted and at least one roller rotatably supported on the transport shaft. At least one cam roller is firmly mounted on a braking shaft of the braking device and at least one eccentric roller. By a rotation of the braking shaft, the eccentric roller can electively be brought in engagement with the opposing driving roller so that a value document becomes clamped between these, or be brought out of engagement with the opposing driving roller, so that the value document is no longer clamped between these, but rather is brakable by the engagement between the cam roller and the rotatably supported roller.

A vacuum wheel for transporting a substrate includes a fixed conduit that is connectable to a suction source. A vacuum surface on a circumference of the vacuum wheel includes vacuum openings that are distributed around the circumference, such that rotation of the wheel causes the vacuum openings to successively fluidically connect to the fixed conduit. When suction is applied to the fixed conduit, suction is applied to one or more of the vacuum openings that are currently fluidically connected to the fixed conduit. At least one contact surface on the circumference of the vacuum wheel is adjacent to, and extends outward beyond, the vacuum surface. When suction is applied to the vacuum openings, the substrate is drawn toward the vacuum surface so as to contact the contact surface without contacting the vacuum surface, creating a friction force that enables transport of the substrate when the wheel rotates.