A sheet feeding apparatus, including: a containing portion removable from the sheet feeding apparatus and including a tray; a pickup roller; a support portion configured to fall the pickup roller on the sheet stacked on the tray when a far-side end of the containing portion reaches a predetermined position; a detector configured to detect the containing portion; a motor configured to drive the pickup roller; and a controller configured to control an operation of feeding the sheet by the pickup roller, wherein, during a period in which the pickup roller is driven with the detector detecting the containing portion, the controller allows the operation when an amount of a load torque applied to a rotor of the motor is equal to or larger than a predetermined value and inhibits the operation when the amount of the load torque is smaller than the predetermined value.

A paper medium skew correcting device includes: a support including a pair of fixed stop plates arranged in parallel; a skew correcting tapered roller assembly including a tapered roller, a reference plate located at a large end face of the tapered roller and a transmission shaft a tapered cover plate covering on the tapered roller with a skew correcting passage formed between an inner wall of the tapered cover plate and an outer wall of the tapered roller, an auxiliary pressure roller mechanism is mounted on an outer wall of the tapered cover plate and is configured to press a paper medium against the outer wall of the tapered roller tightly, the tapered cover plate is provided with an opening; and a driving transmission assembly. The device fully uses combined action of centrifugal force and friction force to realize skew correction and conveying of the paper medium.

A document conveying apparatus includes a first conveying roller for conveying a document stacked on the document tray, a second conveying roller, provided at a downstream side with respect to the first conveying roller, for conveying a document stacked on the document tray, a separation roller, provided at a downstream side with respect to the second conveying roller, for performing separation operation of the document, a driving force transmission mechanism for transmitting the driving force to a driving shaft of the first conveying roller, a driving shaft of the second conveying roller, and a driving shaft of the separation roller, and a first blocking mechanism, provided between the first conveying roller and the driving shaft of the first conveying roller, for blocking a driving force transmitted to the driving shaft of the first conveying roller, for a first certain period of time.

In a case where, for example, a certain sheet feeding operation by one of sheet delivery portions is an operation that continues from a sheet feeding operation by another one of the sheet delivery portions in a sheet feed device, a control portion delays output timing, to a feed clutch, of a control signal for feeding a first one of recording sheets, as compared to output timing of control signals for sequentially feeding a second and the following ones of the recording sheets from the same sheet delivery portion.

A sheet supporting apparatus includes an apparatus body, a supporting unit being capable of being drawn from and inserted to the apparatus body, and having a supporting member on which a sheet is supported, a conveyance guide disposed on the apparatus body and being capable of moving to a first position at which a sheet conveyance path is constituted, and a second position distant from the first position, and a regulation unit. The regulation unit regulates the conveyance guide positioned at the second position from moving in an upward direction, a downward direction, a drawing direction and an inserting direction of a supporting unit.

A printing apparatus includes a conveyance unit to convey a print medium, a belt, a tensioner, and a control unit. The belt transmits a driving force of a drive unit to the conveyance unit. The tensioner is displaceable and makes pressure contact with the belt to generate tension. The control unit controls driving of the drive unit in a state where the tensioner is in pressure contact with the belt. The control unit performs first control in which the drive unit is driven with a first control value, which is not based on a driving amount detected by a detection unit. Where the detection unit detects the driving amount, the control unit subsequently performs second control in which the drive unit is driven with a second control value, which is based on the driving amount detected by the detection unit.

A shrink conveyor and a method are provided for allowing shrink in a continuous strip. The shrink conveyor comprises a plurality of rollers, a frame that defines a plurality of roller positions, and a first drive member for driving the plurality of rollers. Each roller of the plurality of rollers comprises a first driven part that has a first drive profile that tapers. The first drive member is arranged for rotating the plurality of rollers through contact with the first driven parts at a rotation speed in a transmission ratio to the speed of the first drive member in such a way that the first drive member contacts the first driven part of each roller of the at least three rollers at a different diameter for each roller.

To enable a user, when removing a sheet of paper from a transport mechanism, to easily remove the sheet of paper from the transport mechanism even with structure in which a transport roller is provided at a position inaccessible to a user. A paper-sheet transport device, including: a drive part which drives a transport mechanism transporting a sheet of paper; a cover; a shaft that rotatable in a predetermined direction by drive generated by the drive part, the shaft including a transport roller fixed thereto for transporting the sheet of paper; a lever which is arranged at, at least, a drive part side end out of both ends of the shaft and which, through a part of the cover, receives force due to an opening/closing operation of the cover; and a ratchet via which the lever and the shaft are engaged or disengaged, and which changes from the engaged state to the disengaged state in response to the lever receiving the force due to the opening/closing operation of the cover.

An image forming apparatus includes an apparatus body including an image forming unit, a unit detachably attached to the apparatus body, a first rotary member provided in the unit, a second rotary member provided in the apparatus body and configured to be coupled with and decoupled from the first rotary member by being moved in a rotation axial direction of the first rotary member, and a restriction member provided in the apparatus body and movable to a first position and a second position. The restriction member includes an engaging portion configured to engage with the second rotary member and is configured to move the second rotary member by the engaging portion so that the second rotary member is decoupled from the first rotary member along with a move of the restriction member from the first position to the second position.

A processing machine includes at least one processing unit configured as at least one shaping unit following, in a transport direction of a substrate, at least one processing unit configured as at least one application unit. Additionally, at least one transport unit is arranged between the at least one application unit and at least one succeeding processing unit. The at least one transport unit includes a plurality of transport elements that are arranged one behind the other in the transport direction. At least one transport element is axially adjustable based on detection of at least one image-producing element of a substrate by at least one sensor for substrate alignment.