The sheet processing device includes a processing tray, a processing device, a discharge port, a discharge rollers pair, a supporting arm and an interlock mechanism. The discharge rollers pair has a lower roller and an upper roller. The supporting arm supports the upper roller and is turnable between a first position where the upper roller comes into contact with the sheet and a second position where the upper roller separates upwardly from the sheet. The interlock mechanism includes an actuator, a switch and a switch moving mechanism. The actuator is turned with an upwardly turning of the supporting arm. The switch detects the actuator to detect that the supporting arm is turned to the second position. The switch moving mechanism moves the switch to a switch non-detective position when the processing is not performed and moves the switch to a switch detective position when the processing is performed.

Provided is an image forming apparatus including: a manual feed tray for placing a sheet to be subjected to image formation; a pickup roller configured to abut against the placed sheet to feed the sheet; a controller; and a human detection sensor. The controller maintains an abutment state in which the pickup roller is held in abutment against the sheet until a time period during which the abutment state is maintained reaches an abutment timeout. When a time period during which no human is detected by the human detection sensor in the vicinity of the image forming apparatus reaches a human detection timeout even before the time period during which the abutment state is maintained reaches the abutment timeout, the controller brings the pickup roller into a non-abutment state against the sheet.

In one aspect, the present disclosure includes a sheet material dispenser including a dispensing mechanism including a drive roller that is configured to engage the sheet material, and a drive motor in communication with the drive roller to drive rotation thereof for dispensing of the sheet material from a discharge. The sheet material dispenser also includes a pressing roller arranged along the drive roller and configured to engage the sheet material between the pressing roller and the drive roller, and a drive belt assembly including a drive belt operatively connected to the drive motor and the pressing roller for transferring power from the drive motor to the pressing roller. Other aspects also are described.

An electronic dispenser for dispensing flexible sheet material. A control circuit receives a plurality of signals and controls dispensing of the sheet material. A tear bar is mounted within the housing for severance of the sheet material. A pivotally mounted pawl member is located proximate to the tear bar such that movement of the sheet material into the tear bar for severance pivots the pawl member from a first position to a second position, such movement causing a signal to be sent to the control circuit. The dispensing mechanism is operative in a first mode to be responsive to a signal from a proximity sensor to dispense a sheet of material, and is operative in a second mode to dispense a next sheet in response to the signal activated by movement of the pawl member to the second position in response to dispensed sheet material being removed from the dispenser.

A sheet sorting apparatus includes a second tray arranged below a first tray detachable from a main body having a first discharge port corresponding to the first tray and a second discharge port corresponding to the second tray, a discharge unit, a tray detecting unit, and a control unit. The discharge unit discharges a sheet toward the first or second discharge port. In a state that the first tray is detached from the main body and the discharge unit discharges sheets from the first discharge port to the second tray and then the first tray is detected as attached to the main body, the control unit selects a discharge destination of a second sheet, subsequent to a first sheet discharged and stacked first after the first tray is attached to the main body, such that the second sheet is stacked on a tray having the first sheet thereon.

A sheet sorting apparatus includes a second tray arranged below a first tray detachable from a main body having a first discharge port corresponding to the first tray and a second discharge port corresponding to the second tray, a discharge unit, a tray detecting unit, and a control unit. The discharge unit discharges a sheet toward the first or second discharge port. In a state that the first tray is detached from the main body and the discharge unit discharges sheets from the first discharge port to the second tray and then the first tray is detected as attached to the main body, the control unit selects a discharge destination of a second sheet, subsequent to a first sheet discharged and stacked first after the first tray is attached to the main body, such that the second sheet is stacked on a tray having the first sheet thereon.

An image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit configured to form an image on a sheet, a cassette configured to accommodate sheets to be supplied to the image forming unit, an opening mechanism configured to open the cassette, a motion sensor configured to detect a motion of a person, and a processor configured to control the opening mechanism to open the cassette in response to the motion sensor detecting a specific motion of a person.

A sheet sorting apparatus includes a second tray arranged below a first tray detachable from a main body having a first discharge port corresponding to the first tray and a second discharge port corresponding to the second tray, a discharge unit, a tray detecting unit, and a control unit. The discharge unit discharges a sheet toward the first or second discharge port. In a state that the first tray is detached from the main body and the discharge unit discharges sheets from the first discharge port to the second tray and then the first tray is detected as attached to the main body, the control unit selects a discharge destination of a second sheet, subsequent to a first sheet discharged and stacked first after the first tray is attached to the main body, such that the second sheet is stacked on a tray having the first sheet thereon.

A sheet sorting apparatus includes a second tray arranged below a first tray detachable from a main body having a first discharge port corresponding to the first tray and a second discharge port corresponding to the second tray, a discharge unit, a tray detecting unit, and a control unit. The discharge unit discharges a sheet toward the first or second discharge port. In a state that the first tray is detached from the main body and the discharge unit discharges sheets from the first discharge port to the second tray and then the first tray is detected as attached to the main body, the control unit selects a discharge destination of a second sheet, subsequent to a first sheet discharged and stacked first after the first tray is attached to the main body, such that the second sheet is stacked on a tray having the first sheet thereon.

A sheet ejection device includes: a paper ejection chain (22b) for conveying paper (W); a first pile (26) or a second pile (26b) having loading plates (27a or 27b) arranged in a multistage manner and used for loading the paper ejected from the paper ejection chain; a first beam sensor (62a or 62b), a second beam sensor (63a or 63b), and a third beam sensor (64a or 64b) for detecting an intrusion into the first pile or the second pile. The sheet ejection device further comprises: a plate upper-limit position detection sensor (58a or 58b) for detecting that the loading plate has been positioned at a plate upper-limit position (L2); and a control device (50) for, based on the detection signal of the plate upper-limit position detection sensor, neglecting (disabling) a command for stopping a driving device (printing machine), the command is issued by the first to third beam sensors.