A sheet feeding device includes a sheet feeding portion, a side end regulating portion, a feeding portion, first and second feeding roller pairs, an abutment member, an obliquely feeding roller pair, and first and second contact-and-separation mechanisms. Feeding of a long sheet is stopped after the sheet is fed to an upstream side of the second feeding roller pair by the feeding portion, and then is resumed in a state in which the first feeding roller pair is changed from a separated state to a feedable state and in a state in which the obliquely feeding roller pair is put in a separated state, and then the sheet is fed to the second feeding roller pair. A short sheet fed by the first feeding roller pair is obliquely fed by the obliquely feeding roller pair and then is fed to the second feeding roller pair.

A sheet conveyance device includes a conveyance roller pair. A skew correction roller pair conveys the sheet after contacting two nip portions, and a sheet skew is corrected in a state in which the skew correction roller pair is being stopped. The sheet having a toner image is bent by a first conveyance guide such that a sheet first surface becomes an inside surface. The sheet is bent by the first and second conveyance guides to cause the sheet first surface to be the inside surface and a sheet second surface to be an outside surface. The skew correction roller pair includes two first rotary members of a first roller. A second roller and the two first rotary members form the two nip portions. The second roller and the first conveyance guide contact the sheet first surface. The first roller and the second conveyance guide contact the sheet second surface.

A system and control method are provided for determining an amount of a product dispensed from or added to a product formation. At defined intervals, a mark is projected with a light source imager onto an aspect of the product formation that changes as the amount of product is depleted or added to the product formation. A digital image is taken of the aspect of the product formation that captures the projected mark and is transmitted to a digital imager processor, wherein a feature of the projected mark is analyzed that changes as the product formation decreases or increases in size as the product is dispensed or added. The analyzed feature is compared with a predetermined value of the feature at a predefined size of the product formation to determine an actual amount of the product on the product formation, or amount of product depleted from or added to the product formation.

An image forming apparatus includes: a sheet conveyance section configured to convey a long sheet along a sheet feeding path; and an image forming section configured to form an image on the long sheet conveyed by the sheet conveyance section, the sheet conveyance section including a conveyance unit that includes a first conveyance roller and a second conveyance roller for conveying the long sheet in a sandwiching manner, and is movable along a sheet conveyance direction in a state where the long sheet is conveyed through the sheet feeding path.

A belt conveyance apparatus includes a plurality of support rollers, an endless belt, a regulation portion configured to regulate a shift of the endless belt in a width direction, a regulation receiving member configured to contact the regulation portion to receive a regulation force by the regulation portion, and support members disposed on an upstream side, in a conveyance direction of the endless belt, of the support rollers provided with the regulation portion to oppose each other on an inner peripheral surface side and an outer peripheral surface side of the end portion side of the endless belt in the width direction, and configured to regulate a position of the regulation receiving member when the regulation receiving member enters a contact portion with the regulation portion.

A method is provided for controlling a web in a printing apparatus The printing apparatus includes a transport assembly for moving the web through a transport path along a printing unit for printing an image onto a print area of the web. The method includes feeding the web from a supply roll through the transport path to the transport assembly; and switching the printing apparatus to a ready-to-print mode, wherein the printing unit does not print an image on the web and the web is maintained ready to be printed on. In a printing mode after the ready-to print mode, the following steps are performed: moving the web through the transport path in a transport direction along the printing unit by the transport assembly; and printing the image onto the print area of the web by the printing unit. The image is printed by applying an image material, which solidifies on the web during the printing step. The ready-to-print mode includes the step of: operating the transport assembly to prevent a deformation of the print area of the web in the transport path, while maintaining the web in the ready-to-print mode. The web is maintained ready to print while preventing a deformation of the print area of the web in the transport path.

A medium carrying device includes a carrying part that carries a continuous print medium, a detection part that includes a light emitting part and a light receiving part arranged sandwiching a carrying path, and that detects the print medium carried on the carrying path according to a light amount that is received by the light receiving part, and a control part that controls operations of the carrying part and the detection part, wherein the control part sets a first emitted light amount of the emitted light of the light emitting part used in image formation to the print medium by performing a light amount measurement using the light emitting part and the light receiving part in a state where the print medium is carried to a first position, and sets a threshold light amount that is used in detecting a boundary position between the first region and the second region by the detection part through performing another light amount measurement by obtaining a receiving light amount of the light receiving part with the first emitted light amount and by determining the threshold light amount based on the receiving light amount in a state where the print medium is carried from the first position to another second position.

A web transporting method includes a drive roller (Gd), N (where N is an integer of 1 or greater) driven rollers (Gn) which nip a wound portion of a web between the drive roller and the driven rollers, and a tension application unit which applies a tension Tl to a portion of the web which is one side of the wound portion and applies a tension Th which is higher than the tension Tl to a portion of the web which is opposite the one side of the wound portion, in which an angle θ0, an angle θ(n), a load P(n), a static friction coefficient μ0, and a static friction coefficient μ(n) satisfy a predetermined relational expression (expression 1).

A paper transfer includes a first paper guide plate, a second paper guide plate, and a draw-out guide member. The first paper guide plate has a transfer roller for transferring a paper while guiding one face of the paper. The second paper guide plate that can be drawn out while facing to the first paper guide plate, and has a driven roller driven while pressing the transfer roller with the paper interposed therebetween to guide another face of the paper. The draw-out guide member is formed so as to release a nip between the transfer roller and the driven roller by separating the driven roller from the transfer roller when the first paper guide plate is drawn out in an engaged state where the draw-out member is engaged with an engagement portion provided on the second paper guide plate.

A sheet feeding device includes a driving roller, a driven roller rotated by the rotation of the driving roller, a non-conductive feeding guide, a conductive frame, a conductive bearing and an urging member to urge the driven roller toward the driving roller. The feeding guide includes a supporting portion to displaceably support the rotation shaft in an urging direction. The frame includes a positioning portion to position the driven roller in the urging direction by contact with the rotation shaft in a state in which the driving roller is urged by the driven roller.