A medium feeding apparatus includes a mounting section on which a medium to be fed is mounted, a feeding roller configured to feed the medium mounted on the mounting section, a separation roller configured to nip and separate the medium with the feeding roller therebetween, and a regulation section disposed downstream of the nipping position between the feeding roller and the separation roller, the regulation section being configured to regulate the contact of the medium to be fed and the separation roller by coming into contact with the medium from the side of the separation roller.

A sheet conveyance apparatus includes a receiving conveyance path branching into a first conveyance path and a second conveyance path. A guide member guides a sheet passing through the receiving conveyance path and is movable between a first position to guide the sheet toward the first conveyance path and a second position to guide the sheet toward the second conveyance path. A rotary member is disposed on the receiving conveyance path and configured to guide the sheet by rotating in contact with the sheet. The rotary member guides the sheet on the same side as the guide member that is on the first position, while guiding the sheet on the opposite side from the guide member that is on the second position. The sheet is conveyed in contact with both the rotary member and the guide member when the guide member is at the first position.

A registration system includes nip rollers for conveying a sheet in a process direction when the nip rollers are in an engaged position, and first and second sets of omnidirectional rollers arranged perpendicularly to each other, for conveying the sheet in the process and cross-process directions, respectively. The omnidirectional rollers each allow the sheet to slide, relative to the omnidirectional roller, in a direction parallel to an axis of rotation of the omnidirectional roller. The nip-rollers are movable from the engaged position to a disengaged position, in which the first pair of omnidirectional rollers convey the sheet in the process direction. A feedback system includes sensors for determining registration errors of the sheet and a control system controls the omnidirectional rollers to reduce the registration errors in the sheet while the nip-rollers are in the disengaged position.

A sheet conveying apparatus includes: a conveying roller configured to convey a sheet in a conveying direction; driven rollers arranged with intervals in a width direction intersecting with the conveying direction, the driven rollers being opposed to the conveying roller in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction and the width direction; and coil springs provided corresponding to the driven rollers respectively and serving as rotating shafts for rotatably supporting the driven rollers, wherein the coil springs include a right-handed twining coil spring and a left-handed twining coil spring.

A sheet registration system includes a transport member on which a sheet is conveyed in a process direction, a vacuum shuttle, and a feedback system. The vacuum shuttle includes a vacuum head which applies suction to the sheet and actuators for rotating the vacuum head in a plane parallel to a plane of the transport member and translating the vacuum head in a cross-process direction. In response to feedback instructions generated by the feedback system, the actuators move the vacuum head, relative to the transport member, while the vacuum is applied to the sheet. The sheet registration system is suitable for use in a printer for reducing skew and lateral offset of sheets of print media.

A sheet type determining device including a guide that guides a sheet along a sheet conveyance path to a destination. The sheet conveyance path is between a first guide surface and a second guide surface facing each other across an interval. The sheet type determining device further includes a determiner that determines a sheet type when the sheet is in the sheet conveyance path, without having contact with the sheet in conveyance, and one or more regulators that regulate a displacement range of the sheet at a determining position, the displacement range being in a direction of the interval of the first and the second guide surfaces. Each of the regulators is a member that protrudes in an arc shape from the first or the second guide surface toward the guide surface opposite, and is spaced from the guide surface or another one of the regulators opposite.

A sheet stacking device includes: a sheet discharge unit; a sheet stacking unit; a pair of cursors; and a control unit. The cursors perform widthwise alignment processing in which the cursors contact lateral end surfaces of the sheet to perform widthwise alignment. The control unit, before a leading end of the sheet reaches a sheet stacking surface, executes sheet guiding processing in which the cursors are positioned at a sheet guiding position to contact a bottom surface of the sheet and guide the sheet toward the sheet discharge direction. The control unit, when the leading end of the sheet passes a predetermined position, positions the cursors at a retracted position that is further outward than the lateral end surfaces of the sheet are, and once a trailing end of the sheet passes through the sheet discharge unit and the sheet is placed on the tray, executes the widthwise alignment processing.

A sheet conveyance device includes a driving rotation device, a driven rotation device, and a supporting device including first and second restriction surfaces and supporting the driven rotation device. The driving rotation device rotates by receiving rotational driving force and drives the driven rotation device to rotate at a position facing the driving rotation device. The driven rotation device includes a driven rotation member contacting the driving rotation device, a cylindrical shaft having a cylindrical shape that rotatably supports the driven rotation member, and a restriction member that is at least partially inserted in an inner circumference side of the cylindrical shaft. A position of the cylindrical shaft is restricted in a width direction crossing the sheet conveyance direction by the restriction member contacting the first restriction surface, and movement of the cylindrical shaft in a rotational direction is restricted by the restriction member contacting the second restriction surface.

The present invention seeks to flatten a sheet when transferred onto an endless belt conveyor facing a print head assembly in a simple and/or low costs manner. Thereto a sheet conveyor is provided comprising an endless, air permeable belt and pressing means. The pressing means comprise a plurality of pressing members spaced apart from one another in a lateral direction of the belt, each pressing member comprising a body which body is moveable in a perpendicular direction with respect to the belt as well rotatable or pivotable around an axis in the perpendicular direction independent of the corresponding bodies of other pressing members. This provides a simple and passive sheet flattening means, resulting in low operational and material costs.

A sheet conveyance apparatus includes a sheet conveyance roller pair to convey a sheet, a first opening and closing guide that opens to a first opened position in which a first conveyance path through which a sheet is conveyed is opened and closes to a first closed position in which a sheet is conveyed in the first conveyance path, and a second opening and closing guide that opens to a second opened position in which a second conveyance path is opened and closes to a second closed position in which a sheet is conveyed in the second conveyance path. A first member is provided on the first opening and closing guide, and a second member is provided on the second opening and closing guide and pivots between a first position and a second position with respect to the second opening and closing guide.