A paper separation structure arranged in an office machine, comprising: a separating roller set having a separating roller and a shaft, and a pick roller arranged to correspond to the separating roller set and contacted with the separating roller set, wherein the separating roller has a roller frame, a shaft hole is formed in the roller frame for accommodating the shaft, and a rubber layer connected with the pick roller, the shaft hole has a narrow inner diameter at a middle of the shaft hole and a wide inner diameter at opposite ends of the shaft hole to form two swing spaces between the middle of the shaft hole and opposite ends of the shaft hole, the roller frame and the rubber layer are swung about a joint between the middle of the shaft hole and the shaft.

A medium conveying apparatus includes a feed roller, a brake roller, a motor to generate a driving force, a first transmission mechanism to transmit the driving force to the brake roller through a first torque limiter, to rotate the brake roller in a direction opposite to a medium feeding direction, a second transmission mechanism to transmit the driving force to the brake roller through a second torque limiter, bypassing the first torque limiter, to rotate the brake roller in the direction opposite to the medium feeding direction, and a processor to detect media multi-feed, and perform control in such a way as to transmit the driving force to the brake roller by the second transmission mechanism and also cause the feed roller to be driven to rotate in the direction opposite to the medium feeding direction by the brake roller, when the media multi-feed is detected.

A mail processing system utilizes a conveyor to shingle or de-shingle mailpieces as they move through the processing system and utilizes belts to move the mailpieces. A first shingling conveyor moves a first mailpiece to overlap with a second mailpiece to create shingled mailpieces. A second shingling conveyor moves a first mailpiece away from a second mailpiece to de-shingle them to create singulated mailpieces. A camera takes images of the mailpieces in the conveyor and image analysis software is used to determine dimensional aspects of the mailpieces that are used to control the belt speeds to move mailpieces with respect to each other. A mail processing system may include a mail processing station that scans addresses, applies postage and/or weighs the mailpieces. Mail may be de-shingled prior to being weighed and then re-shingled for subsequent processing, or mail may be shingled prior to passing through a scale if weighing is not necessary.

A sheet feeding device includes a conveyance rotator, a separation rotator, a torque applier, a torque control circuit, and a torque transmission switcher. The conveyance rotator conveys a sheet in a sheet feeding direction. The separation rotator sandwiches the sheet together with the conveyance rotator. The torque applier applies a reverse torque to the separation rotator in a sheet reversing direction to reverse the sheet. The torque control circuit controls the reverse torque applied to the separation rotator to be equal to or less than a given value. The torque transmission switcher switches, between a transmission state and a non-transmission state, a state of a torque transmission path between the torque applier and the separation rotator. The transmission state is a state in which the reverse torque is transmitted. The non-transmission state is a state in which the reverse torque is not transmitted.

A banknote validation device includes a light source array which includes multiple light emission units; a light receiver configured to receive light emitting from the light emission units and to generate, upon receiving the light emitting from the light emission units, a detection signal corresponding thereto; a banknote channel arranged between the light source array and the light receiver; and a control circuit electrically connected to the light source array and the light receiver. The banknote channel is configured to receive a banknote to be validated to pass therethrough. The light receiver is arranged to correspond to multiple light emission units. The control circuit is configured to control the light emission units of the light source array to sequentially emit light according to a preset timing sequence of lighting. The present invention allows for inspection of a banknote to be validated with a simplified structure at the same accuracy.

An image forming apparatus includes a sheet container accommodating a recording medium therein, a sheet separating feeder including a sheet feeding body and a sheet separating body, an image forming part, and a bend applier. The sheet feeding body feeds the recording medium along with a surface movement thereof while the recording medium contacting the surface thereof. The sheet separating body forms a sheet separation nip region with the sheet feeding body and sandwiches the recording medium in the sheet separation nip region. The sheet separating feeder separates and feeds the recording medium contacting the sheet feeding body. The image forming part forms an image on the recording medium. The bend applier having a leading end of an elastic material contacts and bends the recording medium before the sheet separation nip region and generates a wrinkle extending on the recording medium in a sheet conveying direction.

A sheet feeding device includes: an accommodating unit having a placement surface on which the stack of sheets is mounted; an inclined member having an inclined surface inclined relative to the placement surface to extend in an inclined direction and a back surface opposite the inclined surface; a sheet pick-up unit for feeding an uppermost sheet in the stack of sheets toward the inclined member; and a sheet separating member provided on the inclined surface. The sheet separating member includes a plurality of separation pieces and a support portion those made of resin. The support portion supports the separation pieces at positions closer to the back surface than to the inclined surface so that the separation pieces are movable away from the placement surface in the inclined direction and toward the back surface in a normal direction of the inclined surface independently from one another.

A sheet feeding apparatus includes a sheet conveyance roller, a retard roller to contact the conveyance roller and separate sheets one by one, a drive input shaft, a retard shaft, and a joint to connect the retard shaft with the drive input shaft and transmit rotary drive force of the drive input shaft to the retard shaft. A first angle formed between a line passing through a first engagement position and the drive input shaft and a line passing through a second engagement position and the retard shaft center is within a range of 80 degrees or greater and 100 degrees or smaller, and a second angle formed between a line passing through the drive input shaft and a first pin axis and a line passing through the retard shaft and a second pin axis is within a range of 50 degrees or greater and 70 degrees or smaller.

A medium conveyance device includes a guiding member that is movably supported on a frame, a pick roller that is rotatably supported on the guiding member and that rotates to feed a medium that is placed on a tray to a feed roller, and a joint unit that transmits a rotation force from a drive shaft to the pick roller.

According to an embodiment, a sheet feeding mechanism includes a first elastic body. The first elastic body blocks a first reference line and a second reference line. The first elastic body has a first angle formed between the first elastic body and the first reference line, the first angle being an acute angle. The first reference line is a reference line along a take-out direction by the first roller. The second reference line is a reference line connecting a nip between the second roller and the third roller and a contact position of the first roller and a sheet.