A method of using an interface device to interface to a processing unit is disclosed. The interface device and the processing unit are part of a station of a plurality of stations in a sheet processing line. The method involves using the interface device to receive a control signal from an upstream station, and comparing a selection part of the control signal with a reference, the selection part being part of an addressing part of the control signal. If the comparison result is negative, a further control signal is determined from the control signal, which is derived from and differing from the addressing part of the control signal and the interface device outputs the further control signal to a different interface device corresponding to a processing unit of a downstream station. If the comparison result is positive, an instruction signal is sent from the interface device to the processing unit.

A mount apparatus to be mounted on a top surface, in a vertical direction, of a main body of an image forming apparatus configured to form an image on a sheet, includes a latch member extending toward the main body from a surface facing the top surface of the main body and being rotatable around a rotational axis extending in a direction along a direction orthogonal to the vertical direction, and a biasing member configured to bias the latch member in a predetermined rotation direction. The latch member is inserted into the main body through an opening that is provided on the top surface of the main body and is engaged with the main body by a biasing force of the biasing member in a state where the mount apparatus is mounted on the main body.

A positioning mechanism includes two adjusting devices. The adjusting device includes: a shaft that extends between a first apparatus and a second apparatus in a facing direction where the first and second apparatus face each other and has an outer peripheral surface with a threaded portion formed therein; a holding member that is provided on the first apparatus, has a threaded hole formed through in the facing direction, and holds the shaft member passing through the threaded hole; an abutment member that is provided on an end of the shaft member close to the second apparatus and abuts on a connectable surface of the second apparatus and a compression coil spring that is disposed to surround the shaft member and the abutment member and is clamped and compressed between the holding member and the connectable surface of the second apparatus.

Provided is a structure configured to stably supply electric power to functional units forming an image forming apparatus. To achieve this, the image forming apparatus includes: an image creating portion (307Y) serving as a functional unit for forming images; and an apparatus main body including a DC power distribution portion (206) configured to supply electric power to the image creating portion (307Y) and a main controller (219) configured to control operation of the image creating portion (307Y). The image creating portion (307Y) includes a protection circuit (220) and a load to be driven by electric power that is supplied from the DC power distribution portion (206). The protection circuit (220) gradually supplies power source electric power to the load when mounted on the apparatus main body, and immediately shuts off the supply of the electric power to the load when pulled out of the apparatus main body.

An attachment unit for attaching a second device to a first device includes a first attachment member and a second attachment member. Each of the first attachment member and the second attachment member has first to Nth engagement sections. N is an integer of at least 2. The first to Nth engagement sections of the first attachment member respectively have the same shape as the first to Nth engagement sections of the second attachment member. The nth engagement section of the first attachment member is engageable with the (Nn+1)th engagement section of the second attachment member. n is an integer of at least 1 and no greater than N. At least one of the first device and the second device is an image forming apparatus or an extension device.

A post-processing apparatus that performs, by one or more functional units which can be switched one another, predetermined post-processing corresponding to a function of the one or more functional units on a conveyed paper includes: a plurality of slots in which the one or more functional units can be loaded at respective loading positions along a conveyance path; a loading detector that detects that the one or more functional units are loaded in the slots; and a condition output part that outputs a condition that allows the post-processing depending on the loading positions of the slots in which the one or more functional units are loaded.

A mount apparatus to be mounted on a top surface, in a vertical direction, of a main body of an image forming apparatus configured to form an image on a sheet, includes a latch member extending toward the main body from a surface facing the top surface of the main body and being rotatable around a rotational axis extending in a direction along a direction orthogonal to the vertical direction, and a biasing member configured to bias the latch member in a predetermined rotation direction. The latch member is inserted into the main body through an opening that is provided on the top surface of the main body and is engaged with the main body by a biasing force of the biasing member in a state where the mount apparatus is mounted on the main body.

Provided is an image forming apparatus that easily performs the work of adjustment so that folding lines do not become an obstacle when looking at an image that is formed on paper after the paper has been folded. A printing-data-input unit that printing data for printing the image is inputted to. A fold-setting unit recognizes a folding pattern, and positions of folding lines on the paper that are used in that folding pattern. A positional-relationship-adjusting unit adjusts at least one of the positions of the folding lines and the printing data so that portions in the image that are not blank and the folding lines do not overlap on the paper. An output unit, after adjustment by the positional-relationship-adjusting unit, forms an image on the paper, and outputs the paper.

A sheet sorting apparatus comprising a first tray, a second tray, a conveyance unit, a tray detection unit, a stacking amount detection unit, and a control unit configured to control the conveyance unit to not convey the sheet to the second tray, in a case where the stacking amount detection unit detects that the amount of sheets reaches the predetermined amount, wherein the control unit is configured to permit the conveyance unit to convey the sheet to the second tray, in a case where the tray detection unit detects that the first tray is detached from the apparatus main body in a state where the stacking amount detection unit detects that the amount of sheets reaches the predetermined amount and conveyance of the sheet to the second tray by the conveyance unit is stopped.

An image forming apparatus includes an optional device, a casing, an image forming section and a sheet conveyor device. The optional device performs optional processing. The image forming section is located inside of the casing and forms an image on a sheet. The sheet conveyor device conveys, to the optional device, the sheet with an image formed thereon by the image forming section. The optional device and the casing are fixed to each other. The sheet conveyor device is fixed to the optional device and the casing.