A sheet conveyance apparatus includes a sheet conveyor configured to convey a sheet, a guide configured to form a conveyance path through which the sheet is conveyed by the sheet conveyor, and a sensor disposed on a same side as the guide with respect to the conveyance path. The guide includes a retracted portion disposed over a first region in a sheet width direction perpendicular to a sheet conveyance direction, the retracted portion being retracted with respect to a second region of the guide in the sheet width direction so as not to come into contact with the sheet passing through the conveyance path, the first region including a detection region of the sensor in the sheet width direction, the second region being a sheet passing region of the sheet in the sheet width direction excluding the first region.

The invention relates to an apparatus for winding a paper web. It comprises a rotatably mounted reel spool (3) onto which paper can be wound and an endless flexible belt (5) which is permeable to air and supported by support rolls (12). The flexible belt is positioned adjacent the reel spool (3) to engage the web against the reel spool during winding such that the endless flexible belt is deflected from the path of travel. The flexible belt has a web-contacting side (6). An actuator (9) is arranged to position the reel spool (3) and the flexible belt relative to each other to vary the amount of deflection. The apparatus further comprises a cleaning device (11) with at least one nozzle for blowing air against the web-contacting side of the flexible belt at a point where the flexible belt is not in contact with the paper. The invention also relates to a method of removing dust particles.

An image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit, a paper loading base on which manual-feed paper is loaded, a manual-feed paper conveying unit, and a dustproof cover which covers the paper loading base being in the overhang state. The paper loading base has a lower end rotatably supported on one outer surface portion of the device main body, and is opened from an upper end thereof and disposed at a predetermined oblique angle or in a horizontal overhang state such that an overhang side becomes an upper side in an oblique direction. The manual-feed paper conveying unit is conveys the manual-feed paper on the paper loading base onto a paper conveyance path one by one. The dustproof cover includes a base which engages with the paper loading base, and an opening-and-closing cover which is rotatably connected to the base and is opened upwardly on the overhang side.

A sheet conveying device includes: a housing; a sheet supply tray; and a dust proof cover including a first cover and a second cover. The sheet supply tray is supported to the housing and pivotally movable between a closed position and an open position. The first cover is supported to the housing and pivotally movable between a first position in proximity to the sheet supply tray and a second position away from the sheet supply tray. The second cover is connected to the first cover and pivotally movable about a second pivot axis between a third position in proximity to the sheet supply tray and a fourth position away from the sheet supply tray. The second cover has a center of gravity positioned closer to the housing than the second pivot axis is to the housing in a state where the sheet supply tray is in the closed position.

A sheet discharging device includes a shift tray 202 on which a sheet P1 is stacked, a discharging roller 6 that discharges a sheet P2 onto the shift tray 202, a blowing device 230 that sends air to a lower surface of the sheet P2 discharged by the discharging roller 6, a blocking member 231 that blocks air sent to the lower surface of the sheet P2 from a blowing port 230-2 of the blowing device 230, and a control unit that controls the blocking amount of the blocking member 231. The blocking amount is determined based upon sheet information including sheet-type information, sheet-size information, and sheet-thickness information, for example.