Disclosed is a paper-sheet-feeding/conveying roller having a shaft, and a bi-layer roller material which is formed of an inner layer provided on the shaft and an outer layer. The inner layer provided on the shaft is a foamed elastic layer. The outer layer provided on the foamed elastic layer is a non-foamed elastic layer. The foamed elastic layer is formed of a foamed elastic body of silicone-modified EPDM.

A sheet conveyance apparatus includes a storage unit storing a sheet, a conveyance member to convey a sheet, a support shaft portion, and a separation unit. The support shaft portion has one end fixed to a main body of the sheet conveyance apparatus and the other end as a free end that is not fixed to the main body. The separation unit pinches and conveys a sheet with the conveyance member and separates a plurality of sheets stored in and fed from the storage unit one by one. The separation unit includes a separation member that is supported by the support shaft portion and rotatable with the support shaft portion, and a holding member to hold the separation member. By moving the holding member in an axial direction of the support shaft portion, the separation unit is removed from the apparatus with the holding member holding the separation member.

Provided herein may be a pick-up roller with a front-edge alignment element and a media separation apparatus using the pick-up roller. The pick-up roller may include a pick-up element configured to pick up and transfer a media sheet, and the front-edge alignment element provided at a position opposite to the pick-up element. During a process of picking up a stacked media sheet and transferring it into a space between a feed roller and a separation roller unit, the front-edge alignment element may align in advance a front edge of a media sheet disposed subsequent to the medial sheet that is being transferred, to a position of the entrance between the feed roller and the separation roller unit, and thereafter, the pick-up element may pick up the media sheet aligned by the front-edge alignment element and transfer it into the space between the feed roller and the separation roller unit.

A separation roller for a sheet feeding apparatus includes an outer circumferential portion formed from an elastic material, a core portion to which the outer circumferential portion is attached; and a flange portion including a plurality of projecting portions each projecting to an outside in a radial direction with respect to the core portion. At least one of the plurality of projecting portions includes a first surface provided on a side portion thereof on an upstream side in a first direction in which the separation roller rotates in such a manner as to follow the rotary feeding member rotating to feed the sheet. The first surface extends more upstream in the first direction at a position further on an outside in a radial direction with respect to a rotation axis of the separation roller as viewed in the axial direction.

A roller includes a shaft, and an elastic body portion that is provided on an outer peripheral surface of the shaft, in which the elastic body portion includes an inner peripheral portion which becomes a shaft side, an outer peripheral portion which becomes an outer side with respect to the inner peripheral portion, a plurality of first connection portions which connect the inner peripheral portion and the outer peripheral portion, and a plurality of second connection portions which are provided in a space portion between the adjacent first connection portions and which partition the space portion into one side and the other side of the roller in the axial direction, and in which the first connection portion is inclined in the same direction in a peripheral direction with respect to a radial direction of the roller.

A sheet conveyance apparatus includes a conveyance roller to convey a sheet, and a drive transmission mechanism to transmit a driving force from a driving source to the conveyance roller. The drive transmission mechanism includes a shaft, a first rotary member supported on the shaft, a second rotary member supported on the shaft and connected to the conveyance roller, and a coupling member engaged with the first rotary member and rotated integrally with the first rotary member. The coupling member is movable along the shaft between a coupling position, at which the coupling member engages with the second rotary member such that it rotates integrally with the first rotary member, and a release position, at which the coupling member is separated from the second rotary member such that a relative rotation of the second rotary member with respect to the first rotary member is permitted.

An image forming apparatus includes a tray, a roller unit, an image forming unit, and a pressing mechanism. The roller unit includes a feed roller disposed above a downstream end portion of the tray in a sheet conveying direction in which a sheet is conveyed, a separation roller disposed downstream of the feed roller in the sheet conveying direction, and a roller holder pivotable about a rotation axis of the separation roller, the roller holder holding the feed roller rotatably about an axis of the feed roller and pivotably vertically. The pressing mechanism includes an arm member configured to press the roller holder such that the roller holder pivots downward, and a weight portion provided to the arm member and applying, to the arm member, a load in a direction in which the feed roller is raised from the upper surface of the sheet supported on the tray.

A roller shaft is inserted into a mold including molding members respectively having a first mold surface that defines an outer circumference of a roller portion and second and third mold surfaces that respectively define first and second flat portions of the roller portion, and the mold is then closed. A molding material is injected around the roller shaft to integrally mold the roller portion. The roller portion includes the outer circumference and the first and second flat portions rising from the roller shaft to the outer circumference. The roller shaft includes flange portions at portions corresponding to the first and second flat portions. The flange portions prevent the molding material from leaking outside the first and second flat portions when the roller portion is integrally molded around the roller shaft by injection molding.

A rotary feeding member for feeding a sheet is provided with a plurality of protruding portions, a plurality of first recessed portions and a plurality of second recessed portions on a cross-section perpendicular to a width direction of the rotary feeding member. The plurality of protruding portions constituting an outer circumferential surface of the rotary feeding member to be in contact with the sheet. Each of the plurality of first recessed portions and the plurality of second recessed portions is provided between any adjacent two of the plurality of protruding portions in the rotating direction. The plurality of first recessed portions are recessed to a first depth with respect to the outer circumferential surface, and the plurality of second recessed portions are recessed to a second depth smaller than the first depth with respect to the outer circumferential surface.

An improved elastomer covered feed roll assembly (32R) for use in a feed/pull roll set combination (36) in a sheet finishing machine (12) comprises a roll core (50) having a cylindrical surface (60) with multiple longitudinally spaced and circumferentially offset elongated keyways (80, 82, 84, 86) each configured as a locking slot. Multiple replaceable flexible feed cover sections (52, 54, 56) each incorporating a flexible backing (120) and an elastomeric layer or coating (122) are removably mounted on the roll core by locking components (74, 76) on opposite ends (70, 72) of each of said replaceable flexible feed cover sections, the locking components of each replaceable flexible feed cover section engaging a locking slot (80, 82, 84, 86) corresponding to the feed cover section. The keyways draw together the opposite ends (70, 72) of corresponding cover sections to form corresponding end joints (96, 98, 100).