A feeding apparatus includes a feeding member, first and second conveying members, a separation member, and drive and control units. The feeding member feeds a recording material placed on a tray. The separation member and the first conveying member form a nip portion and separates recording materials at the nip portion. The second conveying member conveys a conveyed recording material. The drive unit drives at least the feeding member. The control unit controls to feed first and second recording materials such that a second recording material front edge passes the nip portion before a first recording material rear edge passes the nip portion, and controls to stop the second recording material after the second recording material front edge has passed the nip portion such that the first recording material rear edge reaches the second conveying member before the second recording material front edge reaches the second conveying member.

A sheet processing apparatus includes a discharge unit, a loading unit, an abutting unit, a support unit, and a control unit. The discharge unit discharges, from a discharge port, a sheet bundle transported along a transport path. The loading unit is loaded by the sheet bundle being discharged onto the loading unit. The abutting unit is disposed forward from the discharge port in a discharge direction of the sheet bundle so that the abutting unit abuts with a top surface of the discharged sheet bundle. The support unit is protrusible from and retractable into the discharge port and protrudes to an underside of the sheet bundle temporarily to support the sheet bundle when the sheet bundle is discharged. The control unit controls movement of the support unit such that the support unit reaches a position of the abutting unit after the sheet bundle abuts with the abutting unit.

A sheet discharging device has a discharge roller pair and a sheet discharge tray arranged selectively either in a first position where the sheet discharge tray is stowed along a side surface of an apparatus main body or in a second position where the sheet discharge tray, swung downward from the first position, protrudes beyond the side surface. The sheet discharge tray has a hook member holding, with one of rotation shafts of the discharge roller pair acting as an engagement shaft, the sheet discharge tray in the first position by engaging with the engagement shaft. As a result of the discharge roller pair being rotated with the sheet discharge tray located in the first position, an engagement releasing member fixed to the engagement shaft releases the engagement of the hook member with the engagement shaft, and the sheet discharge tray moves to the second position.

A dispenser having a feed roller that at least partially engages sheet material to facilitate dispensing thereof, and a cutting mechanism disposed within a chamber defined by a body of the feed roller. The cutting mechanism comprising a cutting blade and at least one movable support connected thereto. The at least one support further is operatively connected to the body of the feed roller and is actuated with rotation thereof to move the cutting blade into and out from one or more openings defined along the body of the feed roller to at least partially cut or perforate a selected portion of the sheet material as the sheet material is dispensed.

A sheet conveying apparatus configured to convey a sheet includes: a rotatable support portion configured to support a rotary portion which is configured to convey a sheet; an urging portion configured to urge the support portion in a direction of a rotary shaft center of the support portion with a support shaft, which is configured to support the support portion in a rotatable manner and is inserted through the urging portion; and a regulating portion configured to regulate a position of the support portion urged by the urging portion.

A drive device includes a plurality of gears; and a grease composition that is held on a tooth flank of at least one gear of the gears. The at least one gear is made of a resin. The grease composition contains a hydrocarbon base oil, lithium soap serving as a thickener, and olefin resin powder. A weight ratio between the hydrocarbon base oil and the lithium soap in the grease composition is in a range of 94.5:5.5 to 96.0:4.0. A consistency of the grease composition is in a range of 360 to 400.

A sheet conveyer having a tray, a feed roller, a separator roller, a holder, an arm, a load applier unit, and a cam member is provided. The load applier unit includes a contacting member, a lever, and a contractive spring. One of the contacting member and the arm has one of a protrusion and a hole section, and the other of the contacting member and the arm has the other of the protrusion and the hole section. The holder is maintained in a second holder-position when the protrusion contacts one end of the hole section and applies a weight of the load applier unit to the arm and maintained in the first holder-position when the protrusion contacts the other end of the hole section and applies a load from the contractive spring acting in a direction to press the feed roller against sheets to the arm.

An image forming apparatus includes a feeding apparatus feeding a recording material and a protruding member that protrudes downward from an apparatus main body; wherein when the feeding apparatus is installed below the apparatus main body, the protruding member is provided in a bottom portion of the apparatus main body so that inside the feeding apparatus the protruding member does not come into contact with a movable unit which is provided in the feeding apparatus so as to be movable with respect to the feeding apparatus, and the protruding member is positioned on an outer side of a feeding path of the recording material in the feeding apparatus, and moreover the protruding member penetrates more inward than an external surface of the feeding apparatus from above the feeding apparatus.

The present disclosure is in one aspect to a dispenser for rolled sheet materials. The dispenser includes a feed roller that is rotatably mounted to a housing of the dispenser housing, and that is configured to feed a predetermined amount of sheet material from the supply of sheet material through a discharge provided along the housing of the dispenser. The dispenser also has a feed roller drive assembly with a drive motor, and a belt transmission assembly. The belt transmission assembly has a drive belt coupled to the drive motor and to the feed roller such that rotation of the feed roller is driven by operation of the drive motor.

A sheet conveyance apparatus includes: a guide member configured to guide a sheet in a first direction in a first state, and in a second direction in a second state; a driving source configured to generate a driving force; a transfer member configured to change the state of the guide member from the first state to the second state by being moved by the driving force; and a control unit configured to control the driving force. The control unit is further configured to set the driving force to a value smaller than a force necessary to move the transfer member to change the guide member from the first state to the second state, and subsequently cause the driving force to increase to a value larger than the force necessary to move the transfer member.