According to one embodiment, a sheet conveying device includes a tray and a correcting member. On the tray, a sheet bundle in which a plurality of sheets are overlapped is stacked in a thickness direction of the sheet bundle. The correcting member moves relative to the tray in the thickness direction. The correcting member abuts against an upper layer portion of an outer peripheral portion of the sheet bundle on the tray, and presses the upper layer portion from an outside after abutting. The correcting member corrects a position of the upper layer portion in a lateral direction intersecting the thickness direction toward an inside from the outside of the sheet bundle.

A vacuum lifter apparatus for lifting sheet material articles comprises an upper chassis, a modular lower suction plate supported beneath the chassis, a controller and a source of vacuum air pressure, the suction plate comprising a suction lifting surface for providing vacuum lifting pressure to said articles. The modular suction plate has plural side-by-side modules, each module providing a different portion of the suction lifting surface and having one or more air outlets, outlets of one module separate from outlets of other modules and in fluid communication with the corresponding portion of the suction lifting surface and not with different portions of the suction lifting surface. The chassis comprises at least one air outlet connected to said source of vacuum air pressure, and a plurality of separate air flow channels through the chassis. Each air flow channel has an associated air flow valve and a valve actuator.

An image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit, a reversing roller pair, a moving unit, and an obtaining unit. The image forming unit forms an image on a sheet. The reversing roller pair nips the sheet having the image, rotates in a first direction, and then rotate in a second direction and conveys the sheet. The moving unit moves the reversing roller pair. The obtaining unit obtains the sheet length. If a first sheet having a first length is reversed and conveyed, the moving unit moves the reversing roller pair conveying the first sheet in the width direction by a first moving amount. If a second sheet having a second length greater than the first length is reversed and conveyed, the moving unit moves the reversing roller pair conveying the second sheet in the width direction by a second moving amount smaller than the first moving amount.

An image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit, a reversing roller pair, a moving unit, and an obtaining unit. The image forming unit forms an image on a sheet. The reversing roller pair nips the sheet having the image, rotates in a first direction, and then rotate in a second direction and conveys the sheet. The moving unit moves the reversing roller pair. The obtaining unit obtains the sheet length. If a first sheet having a first length is reversed and conveyed, the moving unit moves the reversing roller pair conveying the first sheet in the width direction by a first moving amount. If a second sheet having a second length greater than the first length is reversed and conveyed, the moving unit moves the reversing roller pair conveying the second sheet in the width direction by a second moving amount smaller than the first moving amount.

A lateral positioning device (100) for a sheet element (20, 20′) in a sheet element processing machine; a detector lever (130) articulated relative to a horizontal axis, which performs a descending movement from a high position to a low position; a first end (132) of the detector lever (130) contacts, in a low position of the lever, with an upper face of the sheet element. A second end (133) of the detector lever (130) is fitted with a target (135) that cooperates with a position detector (140) to generate a signal dependent on the thickness of the sheet element (20, 20′) and the number of sheet elements (20, 20′) present at the level of the first end (132) of the detector lever (130).

A lateral positioning device (100) for a sheet element (20, 20′) in a sheet element processing machine; a detector lever (130) articulated relative to a horizontal axis, which performs a descending movement from a high position to a low position; a first end (132) of the detector lever (130) contacts, in a low position of the lever, with an upper face of the sheet element. A second end (133) of the detector lever (130) is fitted with a target (135) that cooperates with a position detector (140) to generate a signal dependent on the thickness of the sheet element (20, 20′) and the number of sheet elements (20, 20′) present at the level of the first end (132) of the detector lever (130).

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 paper guide mechanism that facilitates operation without easily allowing deviation of a wide guide unit. In a paper guide mechanism (10), a position-holding member (13) holds the widthwise position of a widthwise moving member (12) by bringing a first fixing-side locking section (11e) and a first moving-side locking section (13d) into contact with each other on a surface perpendicular to a direction of movement of the widthwise moving member (12) even in a case in which the widthwise moving member (12) is about to move in any direction along the width direction. The position-holding member (13) has a movement-restricting section (13e). The movement-restricting section (13e) restricts the movement of the position-holding member (13) in an orientation in which the first fixing-side locking section (11e) and the first moving-side locking section (13d) are moved away from each other by bringing the position-holding member (13) into contact with a second surface of a supporting member (11) on a side opposite to a first surface.

The invention relates to a method for the optimal positioning of veneer sheets at a lay-up station, wherein the veneer sheets are attached for a veneer assembly composed of veneer sheets glued on top of each other. The method comprises determining an optimal position for each veneer sheet and a location for virtual alignment edges and laying up the veneer sheets as positioned in accordance with the virtual alignment edges, for a veneer assembly.