A medium transport apparatus includes a body portion, an inversion unit, and an extension unit. The body portion has a second manual feed path for a sheet material. The inversion unit is configured to be mounted on and separated from the body portion, covers the second manual feed path when the attachment/detachment portion is mounted the body portion, and exposes a portion of the second manual feed path when the attachment/detachment portion is separated from the body portion. The extension unit is configured to be attached to and detached from the attachment/detachment portion. The extension unit extends, in a state in which the inversion unit is separated, the second manual feed path in a transport direction of the sheet material by being detached from the inversion unit and attached to the body portion.

An apparatus for overlapping and stacking sheets, the apparatus has a housing defining a stacking area and a travel plane for the sheets, a conveyor for transporting the sheets through the housing in a travel direction along a travel plane, and an overlapping device in the housing upstream of the stacking area for producing an overlapping stream of the conveyed sheets. A brake in the overlapping device slows the conveyed sheets of the overlapping stream. Stacking elements include stops projecting upward in the stacking area and serving to position a stack formed by the conveyed sheets of the overlapping stream. A separate frame carrying the stacking elements in the stacking area above the travel plane or extending to above the supply travel plane is mounted in the housing of the apparatus so as to be movable horizontally downstream in the direction away from the overlapping device.

A transport device includes a body unit, an accommodating unit that accommodates a recording medium and is mounted to be reciprocal with respect to the body unit, a pair of guide members that come in contact with end portions, in a width direction, of the recording medium to position the recording medium, the width direction intersecting with a transport direction of the recording medium, a first rail that is attached to the accommodating unit and guides reciprocation of the accommodating unit, and a second rail that is attached to the body unit to be movable in a direction, which intersects with a reciprocation direction of the accommodating unit, the second rail being assembled to the body unit to be slidable with respect to the first rail.

An image-forming apparatus includes: a casing; a first sheet tray provided in a bottom portion of the casing; an image-forming unit configured to form an image on a sheet supplied from a sheet accommodation portion of the first sheet tray; a sheet supplying path; a first conveying path; and a shutter. The sheet supplying path is configured to provide communication between the sheet accommodation portion and the image-forming unit. The first conveying path is provided in one of the casing and the first sheet tray, and has one end formed with an opening and another end configured to communicate with the sheet supplying path, the opening being open downward. The shutter is movable between a closing position closing the first conveying path and an opening position opening the first conveying path.

Aspects hereof relate to a multi-frame manufacturing apparatus for manufacturing articles from non-rigid materials and methods for manufacturing articles utilizing a multi-frame manufacturing apparatus. The multi-frame manufacturing apparatus includes a plurality of discrete frames, each frame including a movement mechanism that enables it to move between sequentially arranged processing stations. Each movement mechanism permits substantially horizontal movement forward and backward. The movement mechanism for at least one of the frames permits substantially vertical movement both up and down. Actuation of the movement mechanisms for at least two frames may permit the frames to switch their relative positions. Each frame additionally includes at least one gripping mechanism for temporarily securing non-rigid material in place on the framed for processing.

A sheet conveying device has a body and a frame supporting it, and is insertable or extractable along a sheet stacking face formed in an in-body discharge space in an image forming apparatus and having an inclined face with an upward gradient toward the downstream side in the sheet discharge direction. On the face of the frame opposite the sheet stacking face, a plurality of first and second wheels rotatable in the insertion or extraction direction are provided downward of the center of the opposite face in the insertion direction. The first wheels are arranged downstream of the second wheels in the insertion direction, and protrude from the opposite face farther than the second wheels. The first wheels fit into a concave portion formed in the sheet stacking face by the inclined face and thereby enable the second wheels to make contact with the sheet stacking face.

A relay conveyance device detachably mounted on an image forming apparatus body is provided with a fixing member that holds a mounting state of the relay conveyance device to the image forming apparatus body. The fixing member is provided with a relay connector that relays the image forming apparatus body and the post-processing device. The post-processing device is electrically connected to the image forming apparatus body via the relay connector.

A paper sheet handling device that facilitates removal of paper sheets blocked on a conveying path. The device includes a safe casing internally provided with a paper sheet storage box; a processing unit capable of being pulled out from, or stowed in, a main device; a conveying section coupled to the processing unit, and that forms a conveying path; a handover section coupled to a top plate of the safe casing to hand over the sheets between the storage box and the conveying path; and a positioning section that positions for connecting the handover section and the conveying path together when the processing unit is being stowed in the main device.

An image forming apparatus includes an image forming portion, a fixing portion configured to heat the toner image formed on the sheet by the image forming portion and fix the toner image to the sheet, a folding portion configured to fold the sheet having passed through the fixing portion such that a surface of the sheet to which the powder adhesive is applied is inside, and a bonding portion configured to heat the sheet folded by the folding portion and bond the sheet by the powder adhesive. A relationship of Tmax1>Tmax2 is satisfied, where Tmax1 (° C.) is a highest temperature of the powder adhesive when being heated by the fixing portion and Tmax2 (° C.) is a highest temperature of the powder adhesive when being heated by the bonding portion.

A vacuum lifter apparatus for lifting sheet material articles, comprises an upper chassis joined to a substantially planar lower suction plate and an airflow suction system for conveying vacuum air pressure to the suction plate. The suction plate comprises a lower side and an upper side, the upper side of the suction plate being affixed to the chassis, and the suction plate lower side providing a downwardly oriented and substantially planar suction lifting surface for making contact with the upper surface of said articles, said suction lifting surface comprising a plurality of laterally adjacent portions, each of said portions comprising a plurality of orifices through which, in use, air is drawn along airflow paths by the airflow suction system to provide a suction lifting pressure. The airflow suction system comprises at least one air outlet for connection to a source of vacuum air pressure, and between said outlet and the suction plate at least one airflow manifold, said manifold comprising a plurality of branched ends, said ends being configured to convey said vacuum air pressure from said outlet to corresponding portions of the suction plate.