A document conveying apparatus includes a first conveying roller for conveying a document stacked on the document tray, a second conveying roller, provided at a downstream side with respect to the first conveying roller, for conveying a document stacked on the document tray, a separation roller, provided at a downstream side with respect to the second conveying roller, for performing separation operation of the document, a driving force transmission mechanism for transmitting the driving force to a driving shaft of the first conveying roller, a driving shaft of the second conveying roller, and a driving shaft of the separation roller, and a first blocking mechanism, provided between the first conveying roller and the driving shaft of the first conveying roller, for blocking a driving force transmitted to the driving shaft of the first conveying roller, for a first certain period of time.

A sheet conveying apparatus includes a rotation member unit, a supporting shaft, and a moving shaft to detach the rotation member unit supported by the supporting shaft and the moving shaft. The rotation member unit includes a conveyance rotation member to convey a sheet, and a holding member including an engaging portion to engage with an engaged portion provided to a sheet conveying apparatus main body in a direction perpendicular to the supporting shaft axial direction. The supporting shaft supports one end side of the rotation member unit in the axial direction and the moving shaft supports another end side of the rotation member unit in the axial direction and moves in the axial direction. When the engaging portion engages with the engaged portion when the rotation member unit is not supported by the supporting shaft and the moving shaft, the rotation member unit is held by the engaged portion.

A sheet conveying apparatus includes a rotation member unit, a supporting shaft and a moving shaft to support the rotation member unit, a locking unit to lock the moving shaft, and an engaged portion. The rotation member unit includes an engaging portion and a sheet conveyance rotation member held by the engaging portion. When the moving shaft is at a first position, the moving shaft and the supporting shaft support the rotation member unit. When the moving shaft is moved away from the supporting shaft to a second position at which the rotation member unit is not supported by the supporting shaft, the moving shaft is locked at the second position by the locking unit after moving from the first position to the second position, and the rotation member unit is held by the engaged portion in a state in which the engaging portion engages with the engaged portion.

A transport module for flat items comprising at least one transport element borne in a transport element carrier having a drive shaft is designed for installation in a station of an item processing system and, after installation, is borne rotatably around an axis of the drive shaft. It is one of multiple transport modules of an identical design. The transport element has, on one side, a lower friction coefficient than on the other side of an equator and is driven by the drive shaft via transmission means of the transport module. The transport element carrier carries the transmission means of the transport module and has a spring assembly allowing it to be shifted in the direction of gravity and contrary to it.

A sheet feeding device, which is included in an image forming apparatus, includes a roller detachably attached to the image forming apparatus and configured to feed a sheet in a sheet conveying direction, a shaft configured to engage with the roller and transmit a driving force to the roller, a movable body configured to rotate in a direction of rotational axis and includes a holding portion configured to engage with the second engaging portion of the roller and rotatably hold the roller and a guide configured to guide attachment of the second engaging portion of the roller to the holding portion, and a biasing body configured to apply a biasing force and bias the movable body from a drive receiving side to a drive transmitting side.

A sheet conveying apparatus includes: a supporter having a support surface configured to support sheets; a supplier having a conveying surface exposed from the support surface and moved to supply one or more sheets; a separator including a separating roller and a retard roller located downstream of the supplier; and an inclined surface disposed upstream of the nip position and pivotable about a pivot axis. The inclined surface has a first end portion and a second end portion, and the second end portion is located downstream of the first end portion. The inclined surface is inclined such that the second end portion is nearer to the support surface than the first end portion. The first end portion is located upstream of a downstream end portion of the conveying surface. The second end portion is spaced apart from the conveying surface.

A sheet feeding unit, attached to a sheet feeding apparatus that feeds a sheet, includes an endless belt, first and second rotary members, and a holding device. The endless belt contacts a sheet stacked on a stacking device to feed the sheet. The first and second rotary members contact an inner periphery of the endless belt to support the endless belt. The second rotary member faces, via the endless belt, a separation device that separates the sheet from the endless belt. The holding device holds the first and second rotary members. The endless belt includes protruding and depressed portions on the inner periphery. The second rotary member includes protruding and depressed driving portions that mesh with the protruding and depressed portions to transmit a driving force to the endless belt to, in turn, rotate the endless belt to feed the sheet in contact with the endless belt.

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.

A reversing unit has a drive roller, a discharge roller for forming a first nip portion N1 together with the drive roller, and a conveyance roller for forming a second nip portion together with the drive roller. The reversing unit moves any one of the rollers and nips a sheet at a plurality of nip portions when moving the roller to switch the nip portion for nipping a sheet from a first nip portion to a second nip portion and change the sheet conveyance direction from a first direction to a second direction.

A sheet feeding device includes: a main assembly; a holding unit detachably mountable to the main assembly; a portion-to-be-engaged provided on the main assembly; a rotatable member, provided in the holding unit, for feeding a sheet; and a guiding member for guiding feeding of the sheet. The guiding member is provided in the holding unit and includes an engaging portion engageable with the portion-to-be-engaged. The guiding member is movable between an engaging position where the portion-to-be-engaged and the engaging portion are engaged with each other to guide the sheet and a guiding position where the portion-to-be-engaged and the engaging portion are disengaged from each other to guide demounting and mounting of the holding unit.