A sheet feeding device comprises sheet storage for storing a sheet, a merging conveying unit for feeding the sheet from the sheet storage to an image forming apparatus, a transmitting element for transmitting an ultrasonic signal to the sheet conveyed on the merging conveying unit, and a receiving element for receiving the ultrasonic signal having passed through the sheet and outputting an output signal according to strength of the received ultrasonic signal. When the sheet is a Japanese paper, the sheet feeding device detects double feeding of the sheet according to an average value of a plurality of the output signals and variation in a plurality of the output signals obtained for the one sheet. If the sheet is not double fed, the sheet is fed to the image forming apparatus. If the sheet is double fed, the sheet is discharged to the escape tray.

An image forming apparatus includes a rotary member which transports a recording material; a first detecting unit which is provided upstream of the rotary member in a transport direction of the recording material and detects the recording material; a second detecting unit which is provided downstream of the rotary member in the transport direction of the recording material and detects the recording material; a driving unit which drives the rotary member; a control unit which controls the driving unit to rotate and stop the rotary member; and stopping units which operate independently of the control unit and forcibly stop the driving unit based on detection results of the first detecting unit and the second detecting unit.

An image forming apparatus includes a stacking unit, an access detecting unit, a malfunction detecting unit, a counting unit, and a process deciding unit. The stacking unit receives, as stacked, a recording material. The access detecting unit detects an access to the stacking unit by an operator. The malfunction detecting unit detects that a conveyance malfunction of the recording material has occurred on a conveying path guiding the recording material supplied from the stacking unit. The counting unit counts, after the access detecting unit detects an access to the stacking unit by the operator in a state that the malfunction detecting unit does not detect that the conveyance malfunction has occurred, the number of the conveyance malfunction detected by the malfunction detecting unit. The process deciding unit decides a process to address the conveyance malfunction based on the number of the conveyance malfunction counted by the counting unit.

A fixing device includes a heating roller, a separation member and a fixing frame. The heating roller fixes a toner image on a sheet. The separation member separates the sheet from the heating roller. The fixing frame supports the separation member. The separation member includes a separation claw, a fulcrum shaft and a projection. The separation claw can abut on the heating roller. The fulcrum shaft extends parallel to a direction of a rotation axis of the heating roller. The projection is formed to extend away from the fulcrum shaft in a direction perpendicular to the shaft axis of the fulcrum shaft. The fixing frame includes a rib that restricts the movement of the projection in the direction of the rotation axis.

An image forming apparatus comprises a light-emission unit, a reflecting member, a light-receiving unit, a detection unit, a ventilation unit configured to send air to the reflecting member; and a control unit. The control unit adjusts at least one of an operation duration and an airflow rate of the ventilation unit, in accordance with a detection signal outputted by the light-receiving unit when a sheet is not at a position where light crosses a conveyance path.

A feeding apparatus includes a feeding rotary member, a conveying rotary member pair, an output unit, a detection unit, and a control unit. The conveying rotary member pair includes first and second rotary members. The control unit stops a feeding operation when the detection unit does not detect the recording material by the time when a threshold time has elapsed after an operation of feeding a recording material is stated. The control unit determines that the recording material is stopped at a position on an upstream side relative to the nip portion in the feeding direction in a case where a rotation speed of the second rotary member, indicated by a state signal output from the output unit at least in a period of time from when the recording material reaches the nip portion to when the feeding operation is stopped, is faster than a threshold speed.

An image processing system includes a reader that reads an image surface of a flat cut sheet on which an image is formed; and a laminator that is arranged on the downstream side of the reader in a conveyance direction of the flat cut sheet and laminates an image surface of the flat cut sheet.

An image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit, a fixing unit, first and second rotating members, and a discharge unit to discharge a recording material to an outside. The fixing unit fixes an image from the image forming unit onto the recording material. The first rotating member comes into contact with and guides the image bearing recording material, and is driven to rotate by conveyance of the recording material. The second rotating member comes into contact with the image bearing recording material more on a downstream side than the first rotating member in a conveyance direction of the recording material, guides the recording material, and is driven to rotate by conveyance of the recording material. The first rotating member does not perform swinging motion by coming into contact with the recording material, and the second rotating member performs swinging motion by coming into contact with the recording material.

A sheet processing apparatus is described. The sheet processing apparatus includes a housing section, a conveyance mechanism and a controller. The housing section accommodates a sheet. The conveyance mechanism conveys the sheet accommodated in the housing section to a predetermined position at the downstream side in a sheet conveyance direction. The controller controls the conveyance mechanism to remove a needle-free binding section of a sheet bundle if a conveyance jam of the sheet occurs.

An image forming apparatus includes: an image formation part that forms an image on a paper sheet; a conveyor that includes a plurality of conveying members and conveys the paper sheet; a hardware processor that acquires information on a smudge on a paper sheet on which an image has been formed by the image formation part, and identifies, from the plurality of conveying members, one or more dirty conveying member(s) that may have caused the smudge based on at least one of the information on the smudge, information on the conveying members, and information on a job for image formation executed by the image formation part.