The object of the present invention is to propose a novel device and a novel method to allow the transportation of printable substrates precisely, suited to substrates of various types, sizes and thicknesses. Furthermore, the invention is suited to printing machines that involve no contact with the substrate, such as inkjet printing machines.

An image forming apparatus includes: a transport member that transports a medium; a storage that is disposed below the transport member in a gravitational direction, and that stores the medium which is delivered by the transport member and falls into the storage; a supporter that is provided in the storage, and that has an upper end disposed below the transport member in a gravitational direction, and that allows the medium to be stored with a front end of the medium in a discharge direction matching a lower end of the medium in a gravitational direction; and a guidance member that is disposed in the supporter with the medium interposed between the guidance member and the supporter, and that guides the medium which falls to the supporter.

The present invention provides a guide device for guiding print medium onto a take-up roll in a printing system. The guide device comprises a first guide member presenting a substantially planar surface for limiting or preventing lateral deviation of a printed medium output from the printing system as the medium moves along a transport path towards a take-up roll for winding or taking up a length of the medium. The first guide member is stationary in use. A position of the first guide member is adjustable in a direction transverse to the transport path for setting the position to limit or prevent lateral deviation of the medium along the transport path. The guide device further comprises a second guide member presenting a support surface configured and arranged to support the medium thereon as the medium travels along the transport path towards the take-up roll. The first guide member and the second guide member are preferably integrally formed as a guide unit. Further, the invention provides a printing system which incorporates such a guide device.

An image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit, an apparatus body, an opening/closing unit pivotably supported by the apparatus body, the opening/closing unit having an outside surface that forms a side surface of the apparatus body in a first direction, and a sheet supporting portion pivotably supported by the apparatus body, and a feeding member configured to feed the sheet. The opening/closing unit includes a grip portion configured to be gripped to move the opening/closing unit. When viewed in a second direction opposite to the first direction in a state where the opening/closing unit and the sheet supporting portion are closed, a portion of the opening/closing unit is not covered by the sheet supporting portion, and the grip portion of the opening/closing unit is covered by the sheet supporting portion.

Provided are a sheet stacking device, a counter ejector and a box making machine, wherein: a hopper unit stacks sheet-like cardboard boxes; feeding rolls feed a cardboard box to the hopper unit; and a guiding device is disposed between the feeding rolls and the hopper unit and includes a first guide part that extends in a horizontal direction and guides a lower surface of the cardboard box and a second guide part that extends in a vertical direction and guides a rear end of the cardboard box. Due to this configuration, the occurrence of damage to box making sheets in high-speed conveying of the box making sheets can be suppressed and the box making sheets can be appropriately stacked in a prescribed posture.

Disclosed is a paper sheet storage cassette (for example, banknote collection cassette 42) that includes: a stacking unit (for example, ascending/descending stage 46) in which paper sheets (for example, banknotes) inserted into the paper sheet storage cassette from the outside are stacked in a layered state; a stacking wheel 44 configured to send paper sheets inserted into the paper sheet storage cassette from the outside, one by one, to the stacking unit; a paper sheet passing space (for example, banknote passing space 48) through which the paper sheets to be sent into the stacking unit by the stacking wheel 44 pass; and an inhibiting portion 50 configured to inhibit the paper sheets stacked in the stacking unit from being moved toward the paper sheet passing space.

A discharge apparatus includes: a discharge mechanism including a discharge port and discharging a recording medium from the discharge port in a first direction; a receiving member having a receiving surface which receives the recording medium discharged from the discharge port; an abutting member having an abutting surface which abuts against an upstream end or a downstream end in the first direction of the recording medium received by the receiving surface; and guide members extending upward beyond the receiving surface and guiding the recording medium which is discharged from the discharge port to fall toward the receiving surface, from both sides in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction and parallel to the receiving surface. The guide members respectively include protruding portions protruding inward in the second direction and extending in a longitudinal direction of the guide members.

A paper conveying mechanism includes an elastic urging member provided on each side surface of an upper guide. The urging member includes a projecting portion that projects toward a side guide forming each end of a paper conveying path. An outer width of the upper guide inclusive of the projecting portion is greater than an inner width of the side guides. When a printer cover is closed, the upper guide is urged by the urging member substantially to the center of the inner width of the side guides, thereby producing gaps of substantially equal size on both sides of the upper guide in the paper width direction.

A medium accommodating device includes: a loading unit on which media are loadable in an up-down direction; a first restricting unit that is provided in the loading unit and restricts a position of a side portion of a medium in a width direction intersecting a transport direction of the medium according to a dimension of the medium in the width direction; an air supply unit that supplies air to plural media loaded on the loading unit to float and separate the plural media; a transporting unit that sequentially sends the media that are floated and separated by the air supply unit; a photographing unit that photographs a state in which the media are floated and separated by the air supply unit from an outside of the medium in the width direction; a second restricting unit that is attached to the loading unit when a narrow medium having dimensions in the width direction smaller than dimensions of the medium is loaded on the loading unit, and restricts a position of a side portion of the narrow medium in the width direction; and a focal distance changing unit that is installed at a position facing the photographing unit in a state in which the second restricting unit is attached, and aligns a focal point of the photographing unit with the side portion of the narrow medium in the width direction by changing a focal distance.

The invention relates to a blanking station comprising a blanking tool (12), at least one blank receiving unit (14, 16) for receiving and piling of blanks (20) in a blank collecting space (22) in a piling direction, and at least one flexible guide (18), located between the blanking tool (12) and the receiving unit (14, 16), wherein the flexible guide (18) comprises at least one guiding surface (32) adapted for guiding the blanks (20), being oriented in parallel to the piling direction and arranged so as to define an outer contour of the blank collecting space (22), and wherein the flexible guide (18) further comprises at least one flexible portion (28), located in proximity to the blank receiving unit (14, 16), wherein the flexible portion (28) is elastically deformable in a first direction along the outer contour of the blank collecting space (22) and wherein the flexible portion (28) has a lower stiffness in the first direction than in a second direction perpendicular to the outer contour of the blank collecting space (22) to avoid deflection of the flexible portion (28) into the blank collecting space (22) in case of collision with a blank receiving unit (14, 16). Furthermore, the invention relates to a flexible guide for guiding blanks (20) in a blanking station (10).