A document sheet conveyance device includes an inner guide and an outer guide defining a curved sheet conveyance passage for allowing conveyance of a document sheet from a document sheet feeding section to a predetermined document reading position, and a movable guide projectable into the sheet conveyance passage. The outer guide includes an outer curved guide surface defining an outer surface of the sheet conveyance passage. The inner guide includes an inner curved guide surface defining an inner surface of the sheet conveyance passage, and a first flat part. The movable guide includes a projecting portion projectable into the sheet conveyance passage, and a second flat part provided in the projecting portion. The movable guide is attached to the outer guide in such a way as to allow the first and second flat parts to face each other with the projecting portion projecting in the sheet conveyance passage.

An image forming apparatus includes an apparatus main body, a fixing device, a conveying guide and a branching guide. In the apparatus main body, a conveying path and an inversion path are formed. The conveying guide guides the sheet along the conveying path closer to a downstream side than the fixing device. The branching guide guides the sheet toward an ejecting part along the conveying path closer to the downstream side than the fixing device and guides the sheet toward the inversion path along the conveying path closer to the downstream side than the fixing device. The conveying guide is detachably attached to one of the apparatus main body and the fixing device so as to cover a part of the fixing device from a downstream side in a conveying direction of the sheet. The branching guide is detachably attached to the conveying guide.

A medium transport unit includes an upstream route in which a print sheet is transported, a first switchback route, a second switchback route, a first guide route, a second guide route, a guide flap configured to switch the route so that the print sheet in the upstream route is transported either toward the first guide route or toward the second guide route, a first discharge route from which the print sheet in the first switchback route is discharged, a second discharge route from which the print sheet in the second switchback route is discharged, and a downstream route passing between the first switchback route and the second switchback route and having an upstream end connected to a junction of downstream ends of the first discharge route and the second discharge route.

In an image forming apparatus, a discharge roller discharges a sheet conveyed by a first conveying path. The discharge roller switches between: a mode of conveying a sheet in a sheet discharging direction to discharge a sheet; and a mode of reversing a direction of conveying a sheet from the sheet discharging direction and feeding a sheet to a re-conveying path. A pivot plate at an open position constitutes a second conveying path. The pivot plate at a closed position closes the second conveying path. The pivot plate is provided with a penetrating portion penetrating the pivot plate over an entire thickness of the pivot plate. The penetrating portion constitutes part of the re-conveying path when the pivot plate is disposed at the closed position. Part of the pivot plate is exposed outside the housing.

If a damper or a magnetic catch is used to make a guide member self-holdable in an opened state, a force is required for holding the weight of the guide member in the opened state. This increases an operation force for closing the guide member and degrades the operability. In contrast, if a mechanical holding mechanism without using the damper is employed, the hold may be disengaged without intention of a user. A sheet conveyance device includes an upper conveyance guide for guiding a conveyed sheet and a holding portion for holding the upper conveyance guide in an opened position with respect to a lower conveyance guide opposed thereto, wherein the upper conveyance guide includes an operation portion for disengaging engagement between the upper conveyance guide and the holding portion, and the holding portion includes an operation portion for disengaging engagement between the upper conveyance guide and the holding portion.

A sheet conveying apparatus capable of continuing conveyance of sheets without causing a jam even when a switching member performs an operation for switching a conveyance path again. A switching member is disposed at a branching point of a conveyance path through which the sheet is conveyed by a conveying unit, and is operated by a drive unit for witching a destination of conveyance of the sheet. A controller causes the drive unit to operate the switching member, and performs a checking operation for checking a state of the drive unit based on an output from a sensor that detects a state of the switching member. The controller controls a sheet conveyance interval between a first sheet conveyed by the conveying unit and a second sheet conveyed following the first sheet, according to a result of the checking operation.

An image forming apparatus and a control method are provided. The image forming apparatus includes fusing rollers that fuse a developer at a printing medium, and a transporting guide that guides the printing medium being transported toward the fusing rollers. The transporting guide is movably installed to move between a first position to guide the printing medium, and a second position spaced apart from the first position. Thus, a friction between the transporting guide and the printing medium as well as the subsequent generation of static electricity may be reduced.

A sheet guide of an image forming apparatus includes a first upstream guide member and a first downstream guide member. The first upstream guide member includes an upstream front guide surface and an upstream rear guide surface. The first downstream guide member includes a downstream front guide surface and a downstream rear guide surface. The downstream front guide surface intersects with an imaginary plane formed by extending, toward a downstream side in a conveyance direction of a sheet, the upstream rear guide surface. The upstream front guide surface intersects with an imaginary plane that is formed by extending, toward an upstream side in the conveyance direction, the downstream rear guide surface. When viewed from a direction perpendicular to the upstream rear guide surface, an edge portion of the first upstream guide member on the downstream side is inclined with respect to a width direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction.

A recording medium conveying device includes a guide, a shaft, and a positioner. The guide guides a recording medium along a conveyance path to a predetermined direction. The shaft is disposed near the conveyance path. The guide is disposed between the conveyance path and the shaft. The positioner positions the guide in an axial direction of the shaft. The guide is fixed by both the positioner and the shaft. The positioner is fixed separately from the shaft.

A printing apparatus includes a guide unit provided with a guide surface configured to guide a medium by coming into contact with the medium on which printing has been performed, and a heating unit disposed to face the guide surface with a space therebetween. The heating unit includes a first opening portion that opens toward the guide surface on an upstream side in a transport direction, a second opening portion that opens toward the guide surface on a downstream side in the transport direction, a duct connecting the first opening portion and the second opening portion, and a first blowing unit disposed inside the duct. The printing apparatus switches a direction of airflow produced in a heating region in response to a switching of a blowing direction of the first blowing unit.