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.

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 includes an image forming unit configured to form an image on a sheet, a stacking portion on which the sheet having the image formed thereon is to be stacked, a first roller capable of forward and reverse rotations, a second roller capable of rotating with the first roller when the first roller makes a forward rotation, a third roller capable of rotating with the first roller when the first roller makes a reverse rotation and then the forward rotation, a regulation portion movable between a regulation position where entering of the sheet into a nip portion between the first and second rollers is prevented, and an allowing position where discharge of the sheet is allowed, and a movement unit configured to cause the regulation portion to be placed in the allowing position during forward rotation, and to be placed in the regulation position during reverse rotation.

A medium transportation apparatus includes a transportation portion for transporting a medium; a first structure unit for forming a first transportation path to guide and transport the medium in a first direction from an upstream side in a medium transportation direction toward a downstream side in the medium transportation direction; and a second structure unit for forming an accommodation space to accommodate a part of the first structure unit. The first structure unit includes a first region disposed outside the accommodation space on the downstream side in the medium transportation direction and a second region disposed inside the accommodation space on the upstream side in the medium transportation direction.

An image forming apparatus includes an image carrier, a transfer body, a pair of transport members, and first and second guide members. The first and second guide members each have an upstream portion with respect to the transport direction that is cantilevered between the contact area of the transfer body and the image carrier, and the transport members. The first guide member guides the non-transfer surface of plain paper such that the plain paper contacts the image carrier upstream of the contact area with respect to the transport direction, and guides the non-transfer surface of heavy paper while being pressed by the non-transfer surface and elastically deformed to the transfer body side. The second guide member guides the transfer surface of plain paper while being elastically deformed to the image carrier side, and guides the transfer surface of heavy paper while being elastically returned to the transfer body side.

An image forming apparatus includes an image forming portion, a sheet feeding portion, a first guiding member, a second guiding member, a driving portion, a detecting portion, and a controller. When a leading end of a sheet is detected by the detecting portion, in a case that information on a thickness of the sheet fed by the sheet feeding portion is a first thickness, the controller controls the driving portion so that a distance in a sheet feeding passage with respect to a thickness direction is a first distance, and in a case that the information on the thickness of the sheet fed by the sheet feeding portion is a second thickness thinner than the first thickness, the controller controls the driving portion so that the distance in the sheet feeding passage with respect to the thickness direction is a second distance shorter than the first distance.

A sheet-member guide structure includes a first guide member that guides a sheet member from a fixing unit to a transport roller unit, the fixing unit fixing an image formed on the sheet member to the sheet member by heating the sheet member that is transported, the transport roller unit transporting the sheet member; and a second guide member that comes into contact with the sheet member to which the image has been fixed by the fixing unit and guides the sheet member to the transport roller unit, the second guide member being disposed downstream of the first guide member in a transporting direction in which the sheet member is transported and being made of a material having a thermal conductivity higher than a thermal conductivity of a material of the first guide member.

An image formation apparatus according to an embodiment may include: an image carrier; a transfer part facing the image carrier; a transfer belt that passes between the image carrier and the transfer part, includes a conveyance surface, and configured to convey a medium on the conveyance surface; plural rollers to which the transfer belt is stretched, the plural rollers including a downstream roller provided on a downstream side in the medium conveyance direction among the plural rollers; and a separating member facing the downstream roller and configured to separate the medium from the transfer belt. The separating member includes a guide surface to guide the medium, wherein the guide surface is arranged at an angle such that a distance from the guide surface to a conveyance reference plane becomes shorter as proceeding in the medium conveyance direction, the conveyance reference plane being a virtual plane extending the conveyance surface.

An image forming apparatus includes an image forming engine, a re-conveyance path configured to guide a sheet, on which an image is formed by the image forming engine, to be switched back and re-conveyed toward the image forming engine. The apparatus also includes a discharge tray, and a discharge path configured to guide the sheet in a sheet discharge direction toward the discharge tray. A stack lever is configured to contact a top surface of the sheet on the discharge tray and press the sheet toward the discharge tray. A guide member is configured to form a part of the re-conveyance path, extend up to a position downstream of the stack lever in the sheet discharge direction above the stack lever, and guide the sheet being conveyed along the re-conveyance path, between the guide member and the stack lever.

An image formation apparatus according to an embodiment may include: an image carrier; a transfer part facing the image carrier; a transfer belt that passes between the image carrier and the transfer part, includes a conveyance surface, and configured to convey a medium on the conveyance surface; plural rollers to which the transfer belt is stretched, the plural rollers including a downstream roller provided on a downstream side in the medium conveyance direction among the plural rollers; and a separating member facing the downstream roller and configured to separate the medium from the transfer belt. The separating member includes a guide surface to guide the medium, wherein the guide surface is arranged at an angle such that a distance from the guide surface to a conveyance reference plane becomes shorter as proceeding in the medium conveyance direction, the conveyance reference plane being a virtual plane extending the conveyance surface.