An image forming apparatus includes: a holding body configured to hold a formed image; a conveyance unit configured to convey a recording medium with a leading end of the recording medium gripped by a gripping portion; and a transfer body including a recessed portion that accommodates the gripping portion and is provided along a direction substantially orthogonal to a rotational direction, configured to sandwich the recording medium conveyed by the conveyance unit between the transfer body and the holding body to transfer an image on the holding body to the recording medium conveyed by the conveyance unit, and including a slope surface provided at a leading end of a portion of an outer circumference not including a portion where the recessed portion is provided, the leading end being on a front end side in the rotational direction, a distance from the slope surface to a rotational center becoming larger toward a downstream side in the rotational direction.

A transport device includes a rotating member that rotates; a circulating member that is loop-shaped and wrapped around the rotating member, the circulating member being circulated by rotation of the rotating member; a pair of pinching members attached to the circulating member and circulated together with the circulating member, the pair of pinching members changing from a separated state, in which the pair of pinching members are separated from each other, to a closely positioned state to pinch a transport object that has entered a space between the pair of pinching members in the separated state; and a guide unit positioned to overlap the pair of pinching members in the separated state when viewed in one direction along a rotational axis direction of the rotating member, the guide unit guiding the transport object into the space between the pair of pinching members in the separated state.

A transport device includes a rotating member that rotates; a circulating member that is loop-shaped and wrapped around the rotating member, the circulating member being circulated by rotation of the rotating member; a pair of pinching members attached to the circulating member and circulated together with the circulating member, the pair of pinching members changing from a separated state, in which the pair of pinching members are separated from each other, to a closely positioned state to pinch a transport object that has entered a space between the pair of pinching members in the separated state; and a guide unit positioned to overlap the pair of pinching members in the separated state when viewed in one direction along a rotational axis direction of the rotating member, the guide unit guiding the transport object into the space between the pair of pinching members in the separated state.

A delivery system is used for delivering printed sheets which can be fed in a region of an inlet side of a delivery device. The delivery device includes at least one first discharge station and one second discharge station which is mounted downstream of the first discharge station, which is upstream in the transport path. The delivery stations are associated respectively with a format or transport-relevant device which can be controlled by a drive including a control element for adapting or correcting the guiding and delivery of the sheets in the relevant discharge station. At a delivery device level upstream of a lateral inlet in a stacking space of the upstream second discharge station, at least one operator interface, with at least one actuating device is provided. The at least one actuating device can be permanently connected to a signal or can be activated by an additional actuating device, with the control element of the at least one format- or transport-relevant device of the first discharge station and which allows or which can allow, during actuation, the control element of the system of the first discharge station which can vary with regard to the format- or transport-relevant size format, to be controlled.

During the operation of a delivery device, having a first and a second stack delivery, in a transport direction, in which a first braking device is provided in the transport path of sheets which are conveyed by a conveyor system along a transport path in the entry region of the first stack delivery, and in which a second braking device is provided in the input area of the second stack delivery, the sheets to be printed, which come into the first braking device come in in a form- or friction-locking operative contact with an active surface of a holding means comprised by the braking device. The active surface coming into this operative contact with the sheet to be printed is moved forcibly by a drive in the transport direction. In a first operating mode, during a form- or friction-fit interaction between the sheet and the active surface, a speed for the movement of the active surface is reduced from a first speed to a comparatively lower stacking speed. The first braking device is operated in a second operating mode for a subsequently incoming sheet that is to be deposited on a stack of the second stack delivery. The active surface is moved, for at least the entire duration of the existing form- or friction-fit operating contact, with a speed between the respect sheet and the active surface. That speed corresponds approximately, i.e. with a deviation of 10%, to the conveying speed of the conveyor system.

A sheet ejection device includes: a paper ejection chain (22b) for conveying paper (W); a first pile (26) or a second pile (26b) having loading plates (27a or 27b) arranged in a multistage manner and used for loading the paper ejected from the paper ejection chain; a first beam sensor (62a or 62b), a second beam sensor (63a or 63b), and a third beam sensor (64a or 64b) for detecting an intrusion into the first pile or the second pile. The sheet ejection device further comprises: a plate upper-limit position detection sensor (58a or 58b) for detecting that the loading plate has been positioned at a plate upper-limit position (L2); and a control device (50) for, based on the detection signal of the plate upper-limit position detection sensor, neglecting (disabling) a command for stopping a driving device (printing machine), the command is issued by the first to third beam sensors.

A magnetic ink reading device includes a housing having a slot through which a medium is inserted, a roller driven by a motor by which the medium is conveyed along a conveyance path, one or more sensors arranged along the conveyance path and configured to detect the medium at one or more respective positions, a magnetic head configured to read a magnetic pattern formed on the medium with magnetic ink, and a controller. The controller is configured to control the motor to convey the medium inserted through the slot, measure a length in a conveyance direction of the medium using outputs from the sensors, and control the magnetic head to read the magnetic pattern from the medium while controlling the motor to continuously convey the medium for a period corresponding to the measured length.

A sheet stacking apparatus includes a stacking portion, a conveyance member, an abutment portion, a belt member having elasticity and configured to move the sheet toward the abutment portion, a driving source, and a controller configured to control the driving source such that (i) the belt member rotates at a first speed after the belt member contacts the current sheet and before the leading edge of the current sheet abuts against the abutment portion, and (ii) a rotational speed of the belt member is set at a second speed slower than the first speed in at least a part of a period of time after the leading edge of the current sheet abuts against the abutment portion and before the belt member contacts the next sheet.

A sheet stacking apparatus includes a stacking portion, a conveyance member, an abutment portion, a belt member having elasticity and configured to move the sheet toward the abutment portion, a driving source, and a controller configured to control the driving source such that (i) the belt member rotates at a first speed after the belt member contacts the current sheet and before the leading edge of the current sheet abuts against the abutment portion, and (ii) a rotational speed of the belt member is set at a second speed slower than the first speed in at least a part of a period of time after the leading edge of the current sheet abuts against the abutment portion and before the belt member contacts the next sheet.

A sheet supporting apparatus includes a sheet discharge unit, a conveyance unit, a stacking unit, and a supporting unit. The sheet discharge unit conveys a sheet to discharge the sheet. The conveyance unit including a gripper member engaging with a leading edge of the sheet that has been discharged from the sheet discharge unit. The conveyance unit conveys the sheet engaged with the gripper member by moving the gripper member. The stacking unit is on which the sheet that has been conveyed by the conveyance unit is stacked. The supporting unit supports the sheet conveyed by the sheet discharge unit toward the gripper member by abutting against an undersurface of the sheet. The supporting unit is provided at a position where at least part of the supporting unit overlaps the gripper member in a sheet width direction perpendicular to a sheet discharge direction when viewed in the sheet discharge direction.