A conveying unit conveys a sheet to a tray. A first surface of a wall member and the tray define a first space. A structural member has a facing surface which faces a second surface of the wall member. A wall surface of a frame, the second surface of the wall member, and the facing surface of the structural member define a second space. The wall member has a plurality of through holes including a first through hole and a second through hole. A first imaginary plane containing an edge of the first through hole in the second surface is away from the facing surface of the structural member by a first distance, and a second imaginary plane containing an edge of the second through hole in the second surface is away from the facing surface by a second distance which is different from the first distance.

A sheet feeder is provided. The sheet feeder includes a sheet container installation space forming member to form a sheet container installation space in the sheet feeder; a sheet container to contain a recording sheet therein, which can be inserted into or extracted from the sheet container installation space; and a sheet feeding device, which contacts with the recording sheet in the sheet container at a sheet pickup position to apply a feeding power to the recording sheet. The sheet feeder has a passage, which is formed by the sheet container and the sheet container installation space forming member to communicate the inside of the sheet feeder with the outside thereof and which is detoured plural times, wherein the passage is located above the sheet pickup position.

A system and method of detecting the presence of metallic objects in media to be conveyed in a medium transport system is disclosed. One or more metal detectors are included in the medium transport system to detect the presence of metal in the medium being transported. Signals from the metal detectors are sent to a system processor, which analyzes the signals, and produces proximity, duration, and/or intensity values therefrom. One or more microphones may also be included which detect the sound created as the medium is being transported. The processor computes sound values from the microphone signals, and analyzes the computed sound values along with the proximity, duration, and/or intensity values in order determine if the conveyance of the medium along the transport path should be stopped due to the presence of metal in the media or a jam occurring within the medium transport path.

A noise dampened re-drive assembly for an imaging device. The re-drive assembly includes a two position, pivotally mounted diverter gate that is driven by a reversible motor coupled to a sector gear fixedly mounted to the diverter gate. A slot is provided in the sector gear with a stop pin positioned in the slot. An end of the slot strikes the stop pin as the diverter gate reaches one of its positions. A cantilevered mounted T-shaped dampener having a dampening finger at each of its free ends is mounts in the slot. As the end of the slot nears the stop pin when the diverter gate approaches one of its two positions, the dampening finger adjacent thereto engages the stop pin and reduces the acoustical impulse of the slot end striking the stop pin. A pair of dampeners mounted in a mirror image fashion may be provided in the slot.

Sheet media jams are detected along a media transport path by one or more vibration sensors that capture mechanical movements of components along the path that interact with the sheet media for driving or guiding the sheet media along the transport path. The detected vibrations during the advancing of the sheets are analyzed for distinguishing between detected vibrations associated with normal handling of the sheets and detected vibrations associated with abnormal handling of the sheets. An error condition can be signaled to a control system in response to distinguishing the detected vibrations associated with the abnormal handling of the sheets.

Sheet media jams are detected along a media transport path by one or more vibration sensors that capture mechanical movements of components along the path that interact with the sheet media for driving or guiding the sheet media along the transport path. The detected vibrations during the advancing of the sheets are analyzed for distinguishing between detected vibrations associated with normal handling of the sheets and detected vibrations associated with abnormal handling of the sheets. An error condition can be signaled to a control system in response to distinguishing the detected vibrations associated with the abnormal handling of the sheets.

Sheet media jams are detected along a media transport path by one or more vibration sensors that capture mechanical movements of components along the path that interact with the sheet media for driving or guiding the sheet media along the transport path. The detected vibrations during the advancing of the sheets are analyzed for distinguishing between detected vibrations associated with normal handling of the sheets and detected vibrations associated with abnormal handling of the sheets. An error condition can be signaled to a control system in response to distinguishing the detected vibrations associated with the abnormal handling of the sheets.

Sheet media jams are detected along a media transport path by one or more vibration sensors that capture mechanical movements of components along the path that interact with the sheet media for driving or guiding the sheet media along the transport path. The detected vibrations during the advancing of the sheets are analyzed for distinguishing between detected vibrations associated with normal handling of the sheets and detected vibrations associated with abnormal handling of the sheets. An error condition can be signaled to a control system in response to distinguishing the detected vibrations associated with the abnormal handling of the sheets.

A sheet conveying device includes a primary sheet guide including a bending portion to bend a sheet while the sheet slides over the bending portion to change a sheet conveyance direction and a secondary sheet guide disposed opposite the primary sheet guide with an interval between the primary sheet guide and the secondary sheet guide. A noise attenuator intakes and attenuates slide noise generated by the bending portion while the sheet slides over the bending portion. The noise attenuator includes a resonant cavity disposed opposite an outer face of one of the primary sheet guide and the secondary sheet guide. A sound inlet is disposed in proximity to the bending portion and intakes the slide noise generated by the bending portion. A sound guide communicates with the sound inlet and the resonant cavity to guide the slide noise from the sound inlet to the resonant cavity.

A sheet conveying device includes a conveyer to convey a sheet and a primary sheet guide, disposed downstream from the conveyer in a sheet conveyance direction, to guide the sheet conveyed by the conveyer in the sheet conveyance direction. A secondary sheet guide is disposed opposite the primary sheet guide and includes a bending portion to bend the sheet while the sheet slides over the bending portion to change the sheet conveyance direction. A sheet conveyance path is defined by the primary sheet guide and the secondary sheet guide. The primary sheet guide includes a cavity disposed opposite the sheet conveyance path and a communication through-hole communicating with the cavity and the sheet conveyance path. The communication through-hole is disposed opposite the bending portion in a direction perpendicular to the sheet conveyance direction.