The present application discloses a post-processing apparatus including a second tray which receives a sheet stack ejected from a first tray, a pushing mechanism including a pushing portion which pushes the sheet stack against the second tray, a motion detector which detects a motion of the pushing mechanism, and a controller including an ejection controller which controls an ejector. When the ejector ejects the sheet stack, the pushing mechanism moves the pushing portion in a first direction away from the second tray. When the ejector finishes ejection of the sheet stack, the pushing mechanism moves the pushing portion in a second direction which is opposite to the first direction. Unless the motion detector detects the motion of the pushing mechanism moving the pushing portion in the first direction when the ejector ejects the sheet stack, the ejection controller executes interruption control of stopping the ejection of the sheet stack.

An example apparatus includes a processor and a memory in which is stored machine-readable instructions that are executable by the processor. The instructions cause the processor to determine a first operating torque response of a motor during a first operation of the apparatus, determine a second operating torque response of the motor during a second operation of the apparatus, the second operation being different from the first process, and determine an amount of media present in a media bin based on the first operating torque response and the second operating torque response.

A sheet sorting device includes a plurality of trays, a tray shifter, a tray stop position detector, and circuitry. The plurality of trays is disposed in multiple stages in a vertical direction and configured to stack a sheet. The tray shifter is configured to move the plurality of trays separately in a tray shift direction. The tray stop position detector is configured to detect stop positions of the plurality of trays separately. The circuitry is configured to cause the tray shifter to move the plurality of trays to home positions in an initial operation, at least one tray having a home position opposite to a home position of another tray in the tray shift direction. The circuitry is configured to, while moving the plurality of trays at a same time in the initial operation, cause the tray shifter to move the trays in directions opposite to each other.

A post-processing device includes a transport path along which a medium printed with liquid ejected by a liquid ejecting portion is transported, an intermediate tray on which the medium is stacked, a first transporting member starting a first transporting operation of transporting the medium upstream in a transport direction after a rear end of the medium passes through the transport path, a rear-end alignment portion that comes into contact with the rear end of the medium transported by the first transporting member and that aligns the medium, a control portion controlling an operation of the first transporting member, and a detection portion detecting a transporting state of the medium in the intermediate tray, in which when the control portion determines, from an output of the detection portion, that the medium reaches the rear-end alignment portion, the control portion regulates the first transporting operation of the first transporting member.

A method for detecting irregularities on a material strand made of an elastomeric material comprises the steps of: (a) providing a material strand which defines a longitudinal axis along which the material strand is to be conveyed; (b) bringing a detection element in contact with the material strand, wherein at least one of the detection element being movably mounted in a direction of deflection transverse to the longitudinal axis and a force can act on the detection element in a force direction, (c) setting up a relative movement between the detection element and the material strand along the longitudinal axis; and (d) detecting at least one of a deflection of the detection element in the deflection direction and a force acting on the detection element in the force direction, so as to detect irregularities in the material strand.

A stacking device which is detachably attached to an apparatus body of an image forming apparatus having an abutting member that abuts on a recording material and on which a recording material is stacked includes: a first supporting unit that supports the recording material from a lower side of the recording material; and a second supporting unit that supports an end of the recording material in an attachment/detachment direction of the stacking device. The second supporting unit includes a corresponding region, and a position of the corresponding region agrees with a position of the abutting member abut with the recording material in a width direction which is orthogonal to the attachment/detachment direction. At least a height of the corresponding region in a direction orthogonal to the attachment/detachment direction and the width direction is lower than a height of the abutting member.

In some examples, a substrate handling system includes a sheet processing machine and at least one alignment device that includes at least four stops. At least one stop is configured as a front stop, at least one stop is configured as a rear stop, and at least two stops are configured as lateral stops. The at least two lateral stops are arranged opposite one another, and the at least one front stop and the at least one rear stop are arranged opposite one another. The alignment device includes at least one support element that is configured as a propping element for propping at least one partial stack of sheets in the alignment device. Further, at least one respective support element is arranged at the at least two lateral stops and at the at least one rear stop.

An image forming apparatus includes a casing, an image forming unit movable between an accommodated position and a shifted position, an actuator, an urging member, a cam, and a contact portion. The actuator includes a pivot shaft and a protrusion protruding therefrom. The protrusion at a standby position crosses a conveyance path and is contactable with a sheet conveyed along the conveyance path. When the image forming unit is at the accommodated position, the contact portion and the cam contact each other and maintain the protrusion at the standby position against an urging force of the urging member. As the image forming unit moves from the accommodated position to the shifted position, the contact portion and the cam move away from each other such that the protrusion pivots from the standby position, by the urging force, to a retracted position at which the protrusion is retracted from the conveyance path.

A medium-transporting device includes: a medium-support section that has a first mounting surface inclined relative to a horizontal plane; a transport path for transporting a medium; a discharge stacker that is configured to switch between an extended state in which a second mounting surface that is inclined relative to the horizontal plane and that receives the medium discharged along the transport path is formed and a stored state in which the second mounting surface is stored in the medium-transporting device, a control section is configured to perform first control of switching the discharge stacker from the extended state to the stored state after the medium is discharged to the second mounting surface and second control of not switching the discharge stacker from the extended state to the stored state such that the medium remains mounted on the second mounting surface.

A sheet storage apparatus includes an apparatus body, a sheet storage portion attachable/detachable to/from the apparatus body, a regulating portion to regulate a position of an end portion of the sheet stored in the storage portion, a cam member slidably movable by interlocking with a movement of the regulating portion, and a slide member supported on the apparatus body and slidably movable by engaging with the cam member in a case where the storage portion is attached to the apparatus body. A sensor includes a moving portion supported on the apparatus body and movable by engaging with the slide member, and a variable resistor, supported on the apparatus body, whose resistance value varies in response to a position of the moving portion in the second direction. The sensor outputs a detection value that varies in response to the resistance value of the variable resistor.