A roll medium transport apparatus includes a feed roll medium support unit that feeds a roll medium, a takeup roll medium support unit that winds up the roll medium that has been fed, a position acquiring unit that acquires a position of a side end portion of the roll medium that is to be fed, a radiating unit capable of radiating light with a position of the side end portion being used as a reference point. The radiating unit is held by the feed roll medium support unit and allows the light to be radiated to a takeup roll that winds up the roll medium.

A system and control method are provided for determining an amount of a product dispensed from or added to a product formation. At defined intervals, a mark is projected with a light source imager onto an aspect of the product formation that changes as the amount of product is depleted or added to the product formation. A digital image is taken of the aspect of the product formation that captures the projected mark and is transmitted to a digital imager processor, wherein a feature of the projected mark is analyzed that changes as the product formation decreases or increases in size as the product is dispensed or added. The analyzed feature is compared with a predetermined value of the feature at a predefined size of the product formation to determine an actual amount of the product on the product formation, or amount of product depleted from or added to the product formation.

A recording medium processing apparatus includes a housing that accommodates a processing unit, which is capable of processing a recording medium, and that has an internal space a part of which is open; an internal stacker that is disposed in the internal space and that allows the recording medium to be stacked thereon; a light source that is disposed in a part of the internal stacker and that emits a light beam toward a predetermined position on the internal stacker, the light beam notifying a user of a state in which the recording medium is or is not stacked on the internal stacker; and a reflection member that is disposed in a part of the internal stacker and that reflects the light beam from the light source laterally outward from the internal stacker.

A sheet discriminator, which can be included in an image forming apparatus, includes a sheet loader on which a recording medium is loaded, an information detector including a light emitter to emit light to a surface of the recording medium loaded on the sheet loader and a light receiver to receive the light emitted by the light emitter and detecting information of the recording medium, a sheet distinguisher to distinguish a type of the recording medium based on the information detected by the information detector, and a detector body encasing at least the information detector therein and having an opening formed on an opposing face facing the sheet loader. The opposing face has an opening formed thereon. The opening has at least one arc-shaped side.

A sheet conveying device includes a tray, a device body having a conveying route of a sheet and supporting the tray, a side guide supported by the tray to be movable in a first direction intersecting with a conveying direction of the sheet and contacting an end portion in the first direction of the sheet placed on the tray, a cover rotatable with respect to the device body and covering the conveying route, and a lock lever locking the cover to the device body and provided in a position overlapping the side guide in a second direction intersecting with the conveying direction and the first direction. The lock lever is rotatable between a lock position where the cover is locked and a release position where the cover is released. The side guide includes a first notched portion facing a rotation track of the lock lever with a gap.

A medium detection mechanism includes a medium guide that holds a medium and an optical sensor including an irradiation section that emits irradiation light to the medium guide and a light receiving section that receives reflected light. An amount of received light that is received by the light receiving section from among reflected light of external light that enters the medium guide and reflected light of the irradiation light is smaller than or equal to a predetermined value.

A recording medium processing apparatus includes a housing that accommodates a processing unit, which is capable of processing a recording medium, and that has an internal space a part of which is open; an internal stacker that is disposed in the internal space and that allows the recording medium to be stacked thereon; a light source that is disposed in a part of the internal stacker and that emits a light beam toward a predetermined position on the internal stacker, the light beam notifying a user of a state in which the recording medium is or is not stacked on the internal stacker; and a reflection member that is disposed in a part of the internal stacker and that reflects the light beam from the light source laterally outward from the internal stacker.

A medium detection mechanism includes a medium guide that holds a medium and an optical sensor including an irradiation section that emits irradiation light to the medium guide and a light receiving section that receives reflected light. An amount of received light that is received by the light receiving section from among reflected light of external light that enters the medium guide and reflected light of the irradiation light is smaller than or equal to a predetermined value.

An electrode assembly is manufactured in a process in which a positive electrode and a negative electrode are alternately stacked and a separator is positioned between the positive electrode and the negative electrode. The positive electrode is disposed above a first separator in a first step. A second separator is disposed above the positive electrode to cover the positive electrode in a second step. A negative electrode is disposed above the second separator in a third step. A third separator is disposed above the negative electrode to cover the negative electrode in a fourth step. In the first step and the third step, a laser beam is irradiated to indicate positions at which the positive electrode and the negative electrode are disposed.

An apparatus for forming and sorting informational items comprises a folding unit, a conveyor belt, a camera, a controller, and a diverter assembly. The folding unit forms a folded article from a sheet of paper. The conveyor belt transports the folded article. The camera captures an image of the folded article as it passes by the camera. The controller receives and processes the image, and the diverter assembly causes the folded article to move off of the conveyor belt when the controller determines that the folded article fails to satisfy at least one predetermined criteria.