A sheet conveying device includes a conveyor, a supporting section which supports a sheet to be fed to the conveyor and a guide section which is provided on the supporting section and configured to guide a sheet to the conveyor. The supporting section includes a first support region and a second support region which support a sheet. The first support region is provided at a position on an upstream side from the second support region in a sheet conveyance direction. The first support region extends substantially horizontally, and the second support region is inclined in a lower direction toward the downstream side in the conveyance direction. The guide section includes a first portion which extends substantially horizontally along the first support region, and a second portion which is connected to the first portion and extends obliquely in the lower direction along the second support region.

An image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit, a paper loading base on which manual-feed paper is loaded, a manual-feed paper conveying unit, and a dustproof cover which covers the paper loading base being in the overhang state. The paper loading base has a lower end rotatably supported on one outer surface portion of the device main body, and is opened from an upper end thereof and disposed at a predetermined oblique angle or in a horizontal overhang state such that an overhang side becomes an upper side in an oblique direction. The manual-feed paper conveying unit is conveys the manual-feed paper on the paper loading base onto a paper conveyance path one by one. The dustproof cover includes a base which engages with the paper loading base, and an opening-and-closing cover which is rotatably connected to the base and is opened upwardly on the overhang side.

A sheet stacking portion for stacking sheets is provided on a cover openably/closably supported on an apparatus body. The sheet stacking portion is guided between a first position and a second position along the cover by a guide portion. A sheet staked on the sheet stacking portion at the first position is fed via a sheet feeding portion. The sheet stacking portion is moved in conjunction with a cover closing action from the first position to the second position not interfering with the sheet feeding portion via a moving portion. A first end side of the moving portion is turnably supported on the apparatus body and a second end side is connected to the sheet stacking portion.

A sheet conveying device, including: a conveyor; a first supporter configured such that, when located at its closed position, a first surface thereof partially forms an exterior surface of the device and such that, when located at its open position, a second surface thereof supports the sheet to be supplied to the conveyor; a second supporter configured such that, when located at its closed position, a first surface thereof partially forms the exterior surface of the device and such that, when located at its open position, a second surface thereof supports the sheet output from the conveyor; and a link configured such that, when the first supporter is moved from the closed position to the open position, the link transmits a force from the first supporter to the second supporter and thereby moves the second supporter from the closed position to the open position in conjunction with the first supporter.

A removable media handling module includes a body that is horizontally slidable into and removable from an imaging apparatus. The media handling module includes a lower media guide extending between a front and a rear of the body. With the media handling module inserted into the imaging apparatus, the lower media guide is positioned parallel to and spaced from a corresponding upper media guide mounted in the imaging apparatus to form at least a portion of a duplex media path therebetween. A drive mechanism including a clutched gear is operably connected to a feed roll assembly of the media handling module. The clutched gear is freely rotatable in a first direction that causes the feed roll assembly to rotate in a media process direction for feeding a printed media sheet along the duplex media path and is restrained from rotating in a second direction opposite the first direction.

A removable media handling module includes a body that is horizontally slidable into and removable from an imaging apparatus. The media handling module includes a lower media guide extending between a front and a rear of the body in a direction of insertion of the body into the imaging apparatus. With the media handling module inserted into the imaging apparatus, the lower media guide is positioned parallel to and spaced from a corresponding upper media guide mounted in the imaging apparatus to form at least a portion of a duplex media path therebetween. The media handling module includes a media feed through channel extending from a bottom of the body to an entrance of a simplex media path to allow media to be fed from a media tray below the media handling module and into the simplex media path when the media handling module is installed in the imaging apparatus.

Disclosed is a sheet feeding apparatus including a tray unit capable of stacking a sheet at an opened position; a feeding member which feeds the sheet stacked on the tray unit; a feed supporting portion which supports the feeding member such that the feeding member is capable of moving to a feeding position for feeding the sheet stacked on the tray unit and to a storage position at which the feeding member is stored in the apparatus main body; and an urging portion which urges the feeding member toward the feeding position, wherein the feed supporting portion includes an abutting portion which abuts against a region other than a sheet stacking region of the tray unit for moving the feed supporting portion and for moving the feeding member to the storage position when the tray unit moves from the opened position to the closed position.

A sheet conveyance apparatus is equipped with a stacking portion on which sheets are stacked, a rotator conveying a sheet by rotating in a contact state with the sheet stacked on the stacking portion, a separating member pressing the rotator and separating the sheets one by one at a contact portion where the rotator and the separating member contact each other, and a holder holding the separating member. A guide portion is rotatably provided with the holder and capable of guiding a front end of the sheet to the contact portion, and a regulating portion regulates the guide portion from rotating in a direction approximating the rotator in a state where the guide portion contacts against the regulating portion. The guide portion can be rotated in a direction separating from the rotator in a state where the separating member presses the rotator.

An image forming apparatus includes a removable sheet support tray. The sheet support tray includes a sheet support surface providing a sheet support area above the sheet support surface. The support tray also includes a stopper portion movable between a restraining position and a non-restraining position that is a different position from the restraining position. In a state where the stopper portion is located at the restraining position, the stopper portion includes a surface disposed adjacent to and downstream of the sheet support area in a first direction, the first direction extending along at least a portion of the sheet support surface.

An image forming apparatus includes a main body including an image forming unit to form an image on a recording medium and a tray that rotates between an open state and a closed state relative to the main body, the tray on which the recording medium is placed. The tray includes a first component located exterior to the image forming apparatus in the closed state and a second component in contact with the recording medium on the tray in the open state. The first or second component includes at least one groove portion which extends in a conveyance direction of the recording medium and the other includes at least one convex portion extending in the conveyance direction. The first and second components are bonded by adhering, with an adhesive, the at least one groove portion and the at least one convex portion put inside the at least one groove portion.