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.

The present disclosure describes a spreader roll (101) that can help spread webs laterally in a web processing operation, in particular to reduce or remove the presence of wrinkles or bagginess in the web. The spreader roll can be a reverse crown roll that is covered with a resilient material (160) to assist spreading the web to remove wrinkles. The surface curvature of the spreader roll (101) can be formed using layers of material such as a tape, to easily and readily approximate the shape of a reverse crown roll.

A roller is provided includes a cylindrical shaft supported by a main assembly of an image forming apparatus or a detachable cartridge. The cylindrical shaft includes a separation region on a circumference of the cylindrical shaft, where a pair of end portions of the cylindrical shaft oppose each other or are in contact with each other with respect to a circumferential direction relative to the circumference of the cylindrical shaft, and wherein the separation region extends in an axial direction of the cylindrical shaft. In addition, a rotatable cylindrical member is mounted around an outer circumference of the cylindrical shaft and is rotatable about the cylindrical shaft while an inner peripheral surface of the rotatable cylindrical member is in contact with an outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical shaft in a region of the cylindrical shaft other than the separation region with respect to the circumferential direction.

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.

Disclosed is a paper-sheet-feeding/conveying roller having an elastic body 10 and a surface treatment layer 11 which has been formed by impregnating a surface portion 10a of the elastic body 10 with a treatment liquid containing an isocyanate compound and curing the liquid; and the micro hardness (Hs.sub.1) of the surface treatment layer 11, the friction coefficient (.sub.1) of the surface treatment layer 11, the micro hardness (Hs.sub.2) of the elastic body 10 after removal of the surface treatment layer 11 and the friction coefficient (.sub.2) of the elastic body 10 after removal of the surface treatment layer 11, the micro hardness values being determined by way of a micro hardness tester, satisfy the following relationships of formulas (1) and (2): 0<(Hs.sub.1Hs.sub.2)/Hs.sub.217% (1) and |.sub.1.sub.2|/.sub.2<22% (2).

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.

An image forming apparatus includes a sheet container accommodating a recording medium therein, a sheet separating feeder including a sheet feeding body and a sheet separating body, an image forming part, and a bend applier. The sheet feeding body feeds the recording medium along with a surface movement thereof while the recording medium contacting the surface thereof. The sheet separating body forms a sheet separation nip region with the sheet feeding body and sandwiches the recording medium in the sheet separation nip region. The sheet separating feeder separates and feeds the recording medium contacting the sheet feeding body. The image forming part forms an image on the recording medium. The bend applier having a leading end of an elastic material contacts and bends the recording medium before the sheet separation nip region and generates a wrinkle extending on the recording medium in a sheet conveying direction.