A sheet conveying apparatus including: a locking member having an abutment surface abutting a sheet to correct skew feed of the sheet; a holding member configured to hold the locking member to rotate from a waiting position when the locking member is pushed by the sheet; a roller pair configured to nip the sheet abutting the abutment surface; a first urging portion configured to urge the holding member to the waiting position; a movable support portion configured to support the locking member in a manner that the locking member is located a retracted position where the locking member contacts a surface of the sheet and allows the sheet to pass; and a second urging portion configured to urge the locking member to a position where the abutment surface abuts a succeeding sheet.

A banknote validator having a housing, a validation sensor; and a banknote drive mechanism. The banknote drive mechanism may be arranged to transport a banknote from an input aperture to a stacking device. The banknote drive mechanism may delimit a first banknote pathway proximal to an input aperture, and a second banknote pathway proximal to the stacking device. A pivotable security gate arrangement may be included that is resiliently biased to project into the second banknote pathway.

A banknote validator having a housing, a validation sensor; and a banknote drive mechanism. The banknote drive mechanism may be arranged to transport a banknote from an input aperture to a stacking device. The banknote drive mechanism may delimit a first banknote pathway proximal to an input aperture, and a second banknote pathway proximal to the stacking device. A pivotable security gate arrangement may be included that is resiliently biased to project into the second banknote pathway.

A sheet conveyance apparatus includes a first conveyance portion configured to convey a sheet, an abutment member including an abutment surface against which a leading edge of the sheet conveyed by the first conveyance portion abuts, the abutment member configured to move from a standby position by the abutment surface being pressed by the sheet, a second conveyance portion, an urging member configured to urge the abutment member toward the standby position, and a rotary member supported rotatably on the abutment member, wherein the rotary member is in contact with the sheet being conveyed by the second conveyance portion, and the abutment member is separated from the sheet in a state where the rotary member is in contact with the sheet being conveyed by the second conveyance portion after the leading edge of the sheet being conveyed passes the abutment surface.

A sheet conveyance apparatus includes a first conveyance portion configured to convey a sheet, an abutment member including an abutment surface against which a leading edge of the sheet conveyed by the first conveyance portion abuts, the abutment member configured to move from a standby position by the abutment surface being pressed by the sheet, a second conveyance portion, an urging member configured to urge the abutment member toward the standby position, and a rotary member supported rotatably on the abutment member, wherein the rotary member is in contact with the sheet being conveyed by the second conveyance portion, and the abutment member is separated from the sheet in a state where the rotary member is in contact with the sheet being conveyed by the second conveyance portion after the leading edge of the sheet being conveyed passes the abutment surface.

In one example, a sheet media alignment system includes: a guide (12) defining a curved media path (14) that extends from an upstream part of the guide to a downstream part of the guide; a movable blocker (16, 56) to block the curved media path (14) at the downstream part of the guide, the blocker movable into and out of a blocking position in which the blocker is spaced from the downstream part of the guide a first distance; and a driver (24, 58) upstream from the curved media path to drive a media sheet into the guide along the curved media path and into the blocker. The driver is spaced from the upstream part of the guide a second distance greater than the first distance such that a media sheet driven into the blocker will buckle between the driver and the guide before it will buckle between the guide and the blocker.

In one example, a sheet media alignment system includes: a guide (12) defining a curved media path (14) that extends from an upstream part of the guide to a downstream part of the guide; a movable blocker (16, 56) to block the curved media path (14) at the downstream part of the guide, the blocker movable into and out of a blocking position in which the blocker is spaced from the downstream part of the guide a first distance; and a driver (24, 58) upstream from the curved media path to drive a media sheet into the guide along the curved media path and into the blocker. The driver is spaced from the upstream part of the guide a second distance greater than the first distance such that a media sheet driven into the blocker will buckle between the driver and the guide before it will buckle between the guide and the blocker.

A sheet conveying device includes a blocking member having a blocking surface with which a leading end of a sheet that is being conveyed comes into contact for obliquity correction. The blocking member is rotated by being pushed by the sheet against an urging force of a positioning unit that positions the blocking member to be in the standby position. The blocking member is rotatable to be in a sheet-passage-allowing orientation in which the sheet is allowed to pass. When a trailing end of the sheet that is being conveyed has passed the blocking member, the blocking member that is in the sheet-passage-allowing orientation rotates in a same direction as a sheet conveyance direction and is positioned to be in a standby position.

A sheet conveying device includes a blocking member having a blocking surface with which a leading end of a sheet that is being conveyed comes into contact for obliquity correction. The blocking member is rotated by being pushed by the sheet against an urging force of a positioning unit that positions the blocking member to be in the standby position. The blocking member is rotatable to be in a sheet-passage-allowing orientation in which the sheet is allowed to pass. When a trailing end of the sheet that is being conveyed has passed the blocking member, the blocking member that is in the sheet-passage-allowing orientation rotates in a same direction as a sheet conveyance direction and is positioned to be in a standby position.

A sheet supporting apparatus includes a sheet supporting portion, a regulating portion, and a positioning unit, wherein the positioning unit includes first and second teeth portions provided on the sheet supporting portion, a third teeth portion provided on the regulating portion and being capable of transiting to a first state and to a second state, a fourth teeth portion provided on the regulating portion and being capable of transiting to a third state and to a fourth state, and an operating portion configured to cause a force which the fourth teeth portion receives from the second teeth portion to act as a force in a direction in which the third teeth portion engages with the first teeth portion.