An image forming apparatus includes a print medium tray in which a print medium is loaded and a pickup roller which is configured to pick up the loaded print medium from the print medium tray. The pickup roller includes at least one first pickup block and at least one second pickup block configured to alternately come into contact with an upper portion of the loaded print medium. Using such a configuration, the pickup performance of the image forming apparatus may be improved.

This disclosure provides a coupling device configured to couple a shaft and a rotating member supported on the shaft so as to be rotatable and demountable from the shaft including a contacting portion provided on a rotating member, and a restricting member provided on the shaft so as to be rotatable and configured to restrict a movement of the rotating member in the axial direction by coming into contact with the contacting portion.

A conveying roller has a rotary shaft portion, a roller supporting member, and a roller member. The rotary shaft portion is extendable/contractible. The roller supporting member has an interior space. The roller member is supported on the outer circumferential surface of the roller supporting member. The rotary shaft portion includes first and second shafts. The first shaft has one end part inserted into the interior space, and is movable axially relative to a first side surface. The first shaft has a regulating portion displaceable between a permitting position where the regulating portion permits the movement of the first shaft in the insertion direction relative to the roller supporting member without interfering with a rim of an opening and a restricting position where the regulating portion restricts the movement of the first shaft in the insertion direction relative to the roller supporting member by interfering with the rim.

A feeding roller for a document conveying apparatus includes a plurality of groove portions arranged with a regular interval in a width direction of the feeding roller on a surface of the feeding roller, and a projection portion provided between each pair of adjacent groove portions to scrape off paper particles on the external peripheral. The projection portion has a regular pattern extending in the width direction of the feeding roller.

A office machine including a data carrier transferring passage and a transmission assembly disposed in the data carrier transferring passage is provided. The transmission assembly includes a shaft disposed along a pivoting axial and a transferring roller pivoted with the shaft, wherein the transferring roller rotates along the pivoting axial. The transferring roller includes a body and multiple grooves. The body has a transferring surface and two supporting surfaces. The two supporting surfaces are connected with two sides of the transferring surface and pivoted with the shaft. The grooves are arranged on the transferring surface, wherein each groove has two end portions. At least one of the two end portions is not connected to the supporting surfaces.

A sheet feeder includes: a sheet feeding assembly including: a shaft having an insertion part; and a feed roller; and a main body including: a rotary part; and first and second bearings. The main body supports the sheet feeding assembly. The rotary part rotates upon transmission of a drive force and receives the insertion part. The bearings support the shaft. An opening of an open portion of the first bearing has a circumferential dimension greater than a diameter of the shaft. The shaft supported by the bearings is movable between a mounted position and a retracted position. The feed roller is supported by the shaft, and movable as the shaft moves between the mounted position and the retracted position. The insertion part is separated from the rotary part when the shaft is in the retracted position, and inserted into the rotary part to place the shaft in the mounted position.

A roller member includes an endless belt elastically deformable and configured to convey a sheet and a holding unit holding the endless belt. The holding unit includes a first holding portion being in contact with an inner circumferential surface of the endless belt, a second holding portion being in contact with an outer circumferential surface of the endless belt and movable with respect to the first holding portion, and an engage portion engaging with an engaged portion. The second holding portion is moved with respect to the first holding portion by resilient force of the endless belt in a state in which the second holding portion is in contact with the outer circumferential surface of the endless belt in response to a disengagement of the engage portion from the engaged portion.

A sheet feeding member is provided, which is made of a thermoplastic elastomer composition comprising: a base polymer including a polyurethane thermoplastic elastomer and a polyester thermoplastic elastomer; and at least one ion conductive agent selected from the group consisting of a quaternary ammonium salt and a lithium salt/polyol, wherein the ion conductive agent is present in a proportion of 0.2 to 4 parts by mass based on 100 parts by mass of the base polymer in the thermoplastic elastomer composition.

A sheet feeding apparatus includes a supporting portion and a feeding unit. The supporting portion supports a sheet and is capable of being drawn out from and being attached to an apparatus body. The feeding unit is provided in the apparatus body and includes a feeding portion, a conveyance portion, a separation unit, and a guide member. The feeding portion feeds the sheet supported by the supporting portion. The conveyance portion conveys the sheet. The separation unit forms a separation nip with the conveyance portion and is detachable from the feeding unit. The guide member includes a guide surface and a lower surface. The guide surface guides the sheet to the separation nip. The lower surface is provided below the guide surface and includes an exposing portion exposing at least a part of the separation unit.

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.