An untaken sheet notification device to notify that the sheet is untaken from an ejection tray if an ejection tray sensor that detects presence or absence of the sheet on the ejection tray detects presence of the sheet, after a sheet is ejected, a document feeder, and an image forming apparatus include a counter that counts the number of the ejected sheets and a notification controller that performs a specific notification control to notify that the sheet is untaken if the number of the sheets counted by the counter is equal to or less than a predetermined reference number.

A belt transfer type multi-function device includes a control device performing controlling such that an image to be printed on paper already caught between a transfer roller and the belt roller is printed, and if printing should not be performed on a next paper, movement of the next paper is stopped on a transfer path before the next paper is positioned between the transfer roller and the belt roller, the image already transferred on the transfer belt is deleted in a state in which the next paper is stopped on the transfer path, and the next paper in a stopped state is ejected as a blank paper through a ejection port along the transfer path, so that the image already transferred to the transfer belt, which is to be printed on the next paper along the movement direction of paper, is not printed on the next paper.

An image reading apparatus includes a stacking unit, a conveyance unit to convey stacked sheets, a reading unit, a white reference plate provided in a second position, and a processor. The reading unit is movable and, at a first position, reads a conveyed sheet image to obtain image data and, at the second position, reads the white reference plate. The processor generates, based on a plate reading result, a shading correction value and corrects the image data using the shading correction value. Based on whether the number of times in which reading the white reference plate has been performed is less than a predetermined number of times, the reading unit changes a time interval in a reading period that is from a first timing to a second timing. The processor generates, each time the white reference plate is read, the shading correction value based on the plate reading results.

An image forming apparatus includes a sheet feeding tray, a sheet discharge tray, and a conveyance mechanism. The conveyance mechanism includes a guide part, a first turning shaft, a second turning shaft, a coupling member and a drive part. The guide part has a sheet discharge port. The first turning shaft supports the guide part so as to be turned around an axis along a width direction crossing to the conveyance direction. The second turning shaft is provided on the downstream side of the first turning shaft and below the guide part. The coupling member has one end portion supported by the second turning shaft in a turnable manner and the other end portion provided so as to be slidable with respect to the guide part. The drive part turns the coupling member around the second turning shaft to change a height of the sheet discharge port.

A medium-discharging device includes: a discharging section that discharges a medium; a stacker that is configured to stack the medium on a mounting surface and, in a closed state, has the mounting surface facing the housing section; and a first stopper and a second stopper that are configured to switch between a regulating state in which the stopper is in contact with a leading end of the medium and a stored state in which the stopper is stored in the stacker, in which the second stopper is provided at a position which is between the discharging section and the first stopper and at which the second stopper faces the recess when the stacker is in the closed state, and at least a portion of the second stopper enters the recess when the second stopper is in the stored state and when the stacker is in the closed state.

Provided is an image-forming device with which it is possible to achieve a smaller size while suppressing a reduction in visibility or operability of an operation panel. In this image-forming device, paper sheets are discharged from the rear side of the device toward the front side of the device, and the image formation device is provided with: a paper-sheet-loading unit in which the paper sheets are loaded; an operation panel disposed on the downstream-side end in the paper sheet discharge direction of the paper-sheet-loading unit, at least a part of the operation panel being disposed in a loading region of the paper-sheet-loading unit; and a protruding part disposed to the side of the operation panel in the loading region, the protruding part protruding upward from the top surface of the paper-sheet-loading unit, and extending in the paper sheet discharge direction.

A multi-function apparatus employs an in-body sheet discharge type configuration. The image forming device includes a front door and a multi-purpose tray. The front door is movable between a closed position set along a side surface at one side of a case of the image forming device and an opened position opened at the one side with respect to the side surface. The front door has an opening formed therein. The multi-purpose tray is provided to be selectively located at a non-use state at which the multi-purpose tray closes the opening and an in-use position at which the multi-purpose tray opens the opening. When the front door is located at the closed position and the multi-purpose tray is located at the non-use position, an upper end surface of the multi-purpose tray is exposed upward.

A conveyance apparatus includes a separation unit configured to separate and convey a sheet, a detection unit configured to detect a height-direction deformation of the sheet passing through the separation unit on a downstream side than a sheet-conveying position of the separation unit in a conveyance direction of the sheet, and a control unit configured to stop the sheet conveyed by the separation unit if the detection unit detects the deformation of the sheet.

Embodiments of systems and methods are disclosed herein to transfer a printed election sheet from a printer to a scanner, which is separate and distinct from the printer, without human intervention. More specifically, the present disclosure provides a retrofit automatic document feeder (ADF), which may be “retrofit” or adaptively coupled between a printer and a scanner for automatically transferring a printed election sheet output from the printer to the scanner, where it is scanned to generate a scanned image of the printed election sheet. Unlike conventional ADFs incorporated within printers, scanners and multi-function printers, the retrofit ADF disclosed herein is coupled to receive a printed election sheet output from an output port of the printer, advance the printed election sheet away from the output port of printer and automatically transfer the printed election sheet to an input port of the scanner.

A multifunction apparatus includes a reading mechanism including a document discharge port configured to discharge a document, a recording mechanism including a medium discharge port configured to discharge a recording medium, and a control unit, and a path through which a leading end of the recording medium discharged from the medium discharge port passes and the document discharged from the document discharge port have such a positional relationship to intersect with each other at an intersecting position, and when the leading end of the recording medium is discharged from the medium discharge port in a stop state where the document discharged from the document discharge port blocks the path of the leading end of the recording medium discharged from the medium discharge port, the control unit performs a predetermined operation for canceling the stop state before causing the leading end of the recording medium to reach the intersecting position.