A lumber transfer system includes an overhead track and a lower conveyor for retrieving and delivering boards from multiple racks of lumber to a platform leading to a saw. In some examples of operation, a board picker travels along the track to pick up a chosen board from one of the racks. The board picker then releases the board onto the conveyor. The conveyor conveys the board underneath the other racks and delivers the board to the saw feed platform. While the conveyor is conveying the board toward the saw feed platform, the board picker returns to the racks for another board. The board picker traveling along the track and handling boards while the conveyor delivers them to the saw saves production time and increases throughput.

A mail processing system utilizes a conveyor to shingle or de-shingle mailpieces as they move through the processing system and utilizes belts to move the mailpieces. A first shingling conveyor moves a first mailpiece to overlap with a second mailpiece to create shingled mailpieces. A second shingling conveyor moves a first mailpiece away from a second mailpiece to de-shingle them to create singulated mailpieces. A camera takes images of the mailpieces in the conveyor and image analysis software is used to determine dimensional aspects of the mailpieces that are used to control the belt speeds to move mailpieces with respect to each other. A mail processing system may include a mail processing station that scans addresses, applies postage and/or weighs the mailpieces. Mail may be de-shingled prior to being weighed and then re-shingled for subsequent processing, or mail may be shingled prior to passing through a scale if weighing is not necessary.

Provided is a pharmaceutical formulation transporting device capable of easily ensuring a large exposed area of a solid pharmaceutical formulation during transport. A pharmaceutical formulation transporting device 10 comprises a first pulley 11, a second pulley 12, and a plurality of endless transport belts 13, 14 wound around the first pulley 11 and the second pulley 12, wherein the plurality of transport belts 13, 14 are disposed so as to be capable of holding a solid pharmaceutical formulation between respective first side surfaces.

Provided is technology for effectively removing fiber from a mesh belt. A second web former for conveying a second web containing fiber deposited on a mesh belt 72 having multiple holes 72a has a brush roller 710 with numerous bristles 712 protruding from the surface and disposed in contact with the mesh belt 72. The sectional area of the bristles 712 of the brush roller 710 is smaller than the open area of the holes 72a in the mesh belt 72 so that the distal ends of the bristles 712 can enter the holes 72a.

To improve heat dissipation efficiency by a heat dissipating portion relative to a heat receiving portion contacting an inner peripheral surface of belts while effectively utilizing spaces in the belts forming a nip in which a recording material is cooled, where heat sinks 53 and 54 are disposed on and under upper and lower belts 51 and 52, heat absorbing portions 53a and 53b (contact portions with the belts) are provided by being shifted in a sheet feeding direction so as not to contact each other through the belts, but heat discharging portions 53c, 53d, 54c, and 54d are disposed in an extended manner so as to overlap with the heat absorbing portions on opposite sides. Thus, it becomes possible to enhance heat dissipation efficiency in spaces in limited belt cross sections, and to meet downsizing and speed-up of the device.

A transfer transporting device includes multiple rollers, an endless belt, a pair of support members, and a pair of unloading members. The rollers include a driving roller and a driven roller. The driving roller is disposed closer to an image carrier that has a toner image formed thereon and that holds the toner image. The driven roller is disposed apart from the driving roller downstream in a sheet transport direction. The endless belt is wound around the rollers. The pair of support members each have an outer wall surface facing a side end surface of the belt. The pair of support members are disposed on both sides of the belt to rotatably support a rotation shaft protruding from side end surfaces of the driving roller. The pair of unloading members are interposed between the outer wall surfaces of the pair of support members and the side end surfaces of the driving roller. The pair of unloading members each reduce, while being in contact with a corresponding one of the side end surfaces of the belt, a driving load on the driving roller further than in a case where the side end surfaces of the belt come into direct contact with the outer wall surfaces. The image carrier and the belt hold therebetween a sheet transported thereto to transfer the toner image on the image carrier to the sheet, and transport the sheet downstream.

A belt driving device includes an annular belt member, rotary members, a protrusion, and a removing member. The rotary members extend in parallel and rotate. The belt member is wound around the rotary members. The protrusion protrudes from an inner peripheral surface of the bel member. The protrusion extends along an edge of the belt member. The protrusion and each rotary member are arranged in an extending direction of the rotary member. The removing member includes a plate-shaped portion. The plate-shaped portion is in contact with an outer peripheral surface of the belt member at a location where the removing member faces one of the rotary members with the belt member being interposed therebetween, so as to remove unnecessary matters from the outer peripheral surface of the belt member. The removing member extends to an outside of end portions of the rotary members in the extending direction.

An image forming apparatus includes a housing having an opening; a drum configured to rotate around a rotation axis to convey a medium in a conveyance direction; an image former configured to form an image on the medium on the drum; and a reader downstream of the image former in the conveyance direction, the reader configured to read the image on the medium formed by the image former. The image former and the reader are radially arranged with respect to the rotation axis of the drum. The reader is drawable from the opening of the housing along the rotation axis of the drum.

An inadvertent swing of a steering roller is restricted with a versatile configuration. A belt conveying device includes a belt member configured to be stretched around a steering roller and a roller member, and a movement mechanism configured to move the roller member. The roller member is movable to a first position and a second position where the roller member is moved further inward on an inner peripheral side of the belt member than the first position by the movement mechanism. In the movement mechanism, a restriction portion capable of restricting a swinging range of the steering roller more in a case where the roller member is at the second position than in a case where the roller member is at the first position is provided.

A belt driving device includes: an endless belt; a stretch roller to engage the endless belt, the stretch roller including a rotary shaft; a steering roller spaced apart from the stretch roller within the endless belt; an adjustment member located along the rotary shaft of the stretch roller, the adjustment member movable along the rotary shaft; and linking mechanism to couple the adjustment member to the steering roller, the linking mechanism to engage a contact surface of the adjustment member. The contact surface includes contact points positioned at different distances from the rotary shaft to raise the linking mechanism during movement of the adjustment member, to cause the steering roller to tilt at an angle, and to maintain an alignment of the endless belt.