A cart chassis is described which includes: multiple areas inside the chassis to accommodate either of two different types of modular accessory trays in multiple configurations. An upper platform of the chassis is to support a print engine.

A feeding apparatus feeds sheets to an apparatus serving as a feeding destination. A sheet storage unit stores the sheets and is able to be pulled out from the feeding apparatus. A stacking unit stacks the sheets. A detection unit detects a connected state and a separated state. A control unit places the uppermost sheet stacked on the stacking unit at a predetermined height when the detection unit detects the connected state. A control unit lowers the stacking unit so as to move the uppermost sheet at the predetermined height on the stacking unit to a position lower than the predetermined height in accordance with detection of a change from the connected state to the separated state by the detection unit.

A sheet feeder and an image forming apparatus comprises a sheet feed cassette, in which a sheet bundle formed by stacking a plurality of sheets can be placed, configured to carry out sheets of the placed sheet bundle one by one, and an alignment cassette, in which the sheets carried out from the sheet feed cassette can be placed in a stacked manner one by one, configured to align the stacked sheets at a predetermined timing.

In execution of aligning operation in a paper discharge device, every time the number of discharged print sheets reaches the number of aligning-start print sheets, a control unit performs aligning operation while the unit intermittently drives paper feed rollers of an image forming apparatus, to prevent discharge of a print-completed print sheet to a paper discharge table during aligning operation. Further, the control unit intermittently drives an elevation unit such that the print sheet on the top of a paper discharge table is always lower than a paper discharge position of a pair of paper discharge rollers. In execution of high-speed and high-volume printing, it is possible to perform alignment of the print sheet discharged on the paper discharge table without reducing productivity.

A sheet feeding apparatus includes an apparatus body, a drawer portion including a first contact portion, a feeding portion, and a pivot member configured to pivot between a first position and a second position, the pivot member constituting a part of a conveyance path at the first position, wherein the pivot member does not overlap a moving path of the drawer portion in a case where the pivot member is located at the first position, and overlaps the moving path in a case where the pivot member is located at the second position, and the pivot member includes a second contact portion that pivots the pivot member from the second position toward the first position while being in sliding contact with the first contact portion in a case where the pivot member is located at the second position and the drawer portion is being inserted into the apparatus body.

A sheet feeding apparatus includes a sheet tray configured to hold sheets, a sheet feeding unit configured to feed sheets from the sheet tray, and a lift unit configured to move the sheet tray up and down. When the type of sheets to be held on the sheet tray is to be changed to another type, the lift unit moves the sheet tray up or down to a sheet holding position set for sheets of the other type. Thus, the position where the sheet tray can hold sheets is changed in accordance with the material or size of the sheets. The largest number, in which sheets can be mounted on the sheet tray, can thereby be changed.

A sheet feeding device includes a sheet stacking table, an air blower, a feeder, and an air sucker. The sheet stacking table stacks a bundle of sheets. The air blower blows air to the bundle of sheets to float an uppermost sheet from the bundle of sheets. The feeder feeds the uppermost sheet. The air sucker sucks air in such a direction that a sheet in vicinity of the uppermost sheet moves away from the feeder. The air sucker includes a suction nozzle to suck air, a suction fan to generate a negative pressure, a suction duct to communicate the suction nozzle with the suction fan, and an opening-and-closing mechanism to shut off and release ventilation in the suction duct.

It is an object of the present invention to provide method for receiving sheets for a sheet supplying apparatus. The method includes converting an up and down motion of a tray to a rotational motion of a rotary member by a movement conversion mechanism, converting the rotational motion of the rotary member around a rotational axis to a linear motion of a cylindrical member parallel to the rotational axis by the rotary member and a cam and slider mechanism, and elastically pressing an end portion of the cylindrical member of the cam and slider mechanism in the rotational axis direction to lift the tray by a compression spring.

A media tray may include a lift plate to lift a number of sheets of media, a spool, and a first plurality of cables and a second plurality of cables each mechanically coupling the lift plate to the spool wherein the first and second plurality of cables cause the sheets of media to interface with a media pick-up roller at a horizontally divergent angle relative to a pick-up roller.

An image forming system includes: an interface that obtains job information including a plurality of jobs that represent processing contents that are performed on sheets; an image former that forms images on the sheets based on the job information; a plurality of stackers in which the sheets discharged from the image former are stacked so as to be divided for each of the jobs; and a processor that: obtains, from the job information, next processing information of a next processing to be performed on the sheets after the image forming processing, and selects, based on the next processing information, a first stacker among the plurality of stackers for the sheets to be stacked.