The conveyance guide unit is provided with a guide member, a supporting frame, and an external cover. The guide member guides a sheet, which is discharged from a sheet discharge port of the image forming apparatus or from a sheet discharge port of a relay conveyance device installed in the image forming apparatus, to the sheet carrying-in port of a post-processing device. The supporting frame supports the guide member. The external cover is fixed to the supporting frame; the external cover covers an upper part of the guide member and side parts of the guide member in a traverse direction of a sheet conveyance path, which is perpendicular to a sheet conveyance direction. The external cover has an upper surface serving as an extension part of a discharge tray part of the post-processing device, the extension part being extended downstream, in a sheet discharge direction.

The conveyance guide unit is provided with a guide member, a supporting frame, and an external cover. The guide member guides a sheet, which is discharged from a sheet discharge port of the image forming apparatus or from a sheet discharge port of a relay conveyance device installed in the image forming apparatus, to the sheet carrying-in port of a post-processing device. The supporting frame supports the guide member. The external cover is fixed to the supporting frame; the external cover covers an upper part of the guide member and side parts of the guide member in a traverse direction of a sheet conveyance path, which is perpendicular to a sheet conveyance direction. The external cover has an upper surface serving as an extension part of a discharge tray part of the post-processing device, the extension part being extended downstream, in a sheet discharge direction.

A sheet alignment apparatus includes a supporting portion configured to support a sheet, a first alignment member configured to abut an end portion in a first direction of the sheet supported by the supporting portion and align a position of the sheet in the first direction, a first moving unit configured to move the first alignment member in the first direction, a second alignment member configured to abut an end portion in a second direction of the sheet supported by the supporting portion and align a position of the sheet in the second direction, the second direction being perpendicular to the first direction, and a second moving unit configured to move the second alignment member in the second direction, wherein the first moving unit is disposed below the supporting portion, and wherein the second moving unit is disposed above the supporting portion.

A sheet alignment apparatus includes a supporting portion configured to support a sheet, a first alignment member configured to abut an end portion in a first direction of the sheet supported by the supporting portion and align a position of the sheet in the first direction, a first moving unit configured to move the first alignment member in the first direction, a second alignment member configured to abut an end portion in a second direction of the sheet supported by the supporting portion and align a position of the sheet in the second direction, the second direction being perpendicular to the first direction, and a second moving unit configured to move the second alignment member in the second direction, wherein the first moving unit is disposed below the supporting portion, and wherein the second moving unit is disposed above the supporting portion.

An image forming apparatus includes: as a conveyance path to convey an object formed with an image by an image former, a bent conveyance path exhibiting a bent shape; and a straight conveyance path connected to a downstream side of the bent conveyance path and exhibiting a straight shape, wherein the bent conveyance path and the straight conveyance path each include: a pair of guide parts facing each other to form the bent conveyance path and the straight conveyance path; and a plurality of friction reducing parts that are arranged in a conveyance direction on one of a pair of the guide part and are able to abut with an image forming surface of the object conveyed between a pair of the guide parts.

An image forming apparatus includes: as a conveyance path to convey an object formed with an image by an image former, a bent conveyance path exhibiting a bent shape; and a straight conveyance path connected to a downstream side of the bent conveyance path and exhibiting a straight shape, wherein the bent conveyance path and the straight conveyance path each include: a pair of guide parts facing each other to form the bent conveyance path and the straight conveyance path; and a plurality of friction reducing parts that are arranged in a conveyance direction on one of a pair of the guide part and are able to abut with an image forming surface of the object conveyed between a pair of the guide parts.

This disclosure relates to a winding machine which has a plurality of equi-rotating rolls, at least two guide elements arranged mirror-wise, between which the sheets to be rolled up pass, with arched distal portions arranged in a mirror-like manner, the two guide elements being connected to a support configured to position in a mutually exclusive manner only one guide element at a time in the rolling space defined between the winding rollers. Moreover, the winding machine is equipped with a motor unit controlled so as to rotate the winding rollers in a direction or in the opposite direction depending on which of the two guide elements has its respective distal portion facing the rolling space.

A document conveyance device includes a sheet feeding tray, a conveyance mechanism, a discharge tray, a document pressing member and a supporting mechanism. The document pressing member comes into contact with an upper face of the document discharged from a conveyance path and presses the document downward. The supporting mechanism is configured to be provided in the sheet feeding tray, to support the document pressing member, to allow a shifting of the document pressing member according to an operation for shifting the document pressing member in a discharge direction of the document or an opposite direction to the discharge direction and to inhibit the shifting of the document pressing member against a force applied to the document pressing member by the discharged document.

A sheet folding apparatus includes: a rotor having a first peripheral surface and a second peripheral surface with a radius smaller than that of the first peripheral surface and configured to convey a sheet; and a guide member configured to be movable between a first position where it guides a sheet being conveyed by the rotor and a second position retracting from the first position. The guide member is disposed so as to move from the second position to the first position while passing within the rotation locus of the first peripheral surface of the rotor.

A sheet discharging apparatus includes a guide member configured to guide a lower surface of a sheet, a discharge roller pair, a stacking portion, and a first moving member and a second moving member each configured to move to a first position and a second position, the first position being a position where the first moving member and the second moving member protrude downstream of the discharge roller pair in the sheet discharge direction, the second position being a position located upstream of the first position in the sheet discharge direction. Support portions of the first moving member and the second moving member in the first position protrude upward in a height direction with respect to a tangent of a lower roller of the discharge roller pair when viewed in a sheet width direction.