A sheet post-processing apparatus (1) includes a processing tray (5), a sheet discharge port (7), a conveyance rollers pair (4), lower and upper discharge rollers (81), (82) and a discharge tray (9). When the sheet having a folded portion is stacked on the processing tray (5) with the folded portion downward, a controller rotates the lower and upper discharge rollers (81), (82) to advance the folded portion to the sheet discharge port (7), stops the lower discharge roller (81) before the folded portion passes the sheet discharge port (7), rotates the conveyance rollers pair (4) and the upper discharge roller (82) so as to convey the rear half portion to the downstream side until the sheet passes the conveyance rollers pair (4) and to form a deflection on the sheet, rotates the lower and upper conveyance rollers (81), (82) and then to stack the sheet on the processing tray (5).

A sheet discharging apparatus includes a discharge portion including a first member configured to apply a force to a first region of a sheet from an upper surface and a second member configured to apply a force to a second region of the sheet from a lower surface, and a contact portion including a first guide surface disposed contactably with the first region and a second guide surface disposed contactably with the second region. The first guide surface is formed such that an angle with to a tangential line at a contact point between the first member and the first region of the sheet becomes a first angle. The second guide surface is formed such that an angle to a tangential line at a contact point between the second member and the second region of the sheet becomes a second angle which is smaller than the first angle.

An image forming apparatus includes: a housing; an image forming unit; a conveyor; a curved guide disposed downstream of the conveyor and configured to move between a near position where the curved guide in the housing guides the sheet and a far position farther from the conveyor than the near position; and a guide member extending from the conveyor toward the curved guide and configured to guide the sheet to the curved guide when the curved guide is located at the near position. The guide member has one end portion coupled to the conveyor and the other end portion movable with respect to the curved guide. When the curved guide is moved from the near position to the far position, the other end portion is moved in a direction from a downstream end toward an upstream end of the curved guide.

A tray device includes a first tray including a first surface and an abutting portion, and a second tray including a second surface and an abutted portion. The second tray is configured to move with respect to the first tray. The abutting portion includes two abutting surfaces located obliquely with respect to an extending direction of the first surface. The abutted portion includes two abutted surfaces located obliquely with respect to an extending direction of the second surface. A difference between an angle formed by each of the two abutting surfaces and the extending direction of the first surface and an angle formed by each of the two abutted surfaces and the extending direction of the second surface is set larger than a maximum angular difference between the extending direction of the first surface and a movement direction in which the second tray moves with respect to the first tray.

An automated product dispenser for dispensing a product from a supply of product is provided. The automated product dispenser includes a chassis assembly, a drive assembly, and an isolation member. The chassis assembly includes a chassis frame, and the drive assembly includes a motor, a drivetrain, and a drivetrain housing. The isolation member mounts the drive assembly to the chassis assembly such that the drive assembly is substantially spaced apart from the chassis frame. A related method of inhibiting vibration transmission in an automated product dispenser also is provided.

A sheet sorting device includes a plurality of trays, a tray shifter, a tray stop position detector, and circuitry. The plurality of trays is disposed in multiple stages in a vertical direction and configured to stack a sheet. The tray shifter is configured to move the plurality of trays separately in a tray shift direction. The tray stop position detector is configured to detect stop positions of the plurality of trays separately. The circuitry is configured to cause the tray shifter to move the plurality of trays to home positions in an initial operation, at least one tray having a home position opposite to a home position of another tray in the tray shift direction. The circuitry is configured to, while moving the plurality of trays at a same time in the initial operation, cause the tray shifter to move the trays in directions opposite to each other.

A sheet feeding apparatus includes a storage portion, a sheet supporting portion, a feed portion, a drive portion configured to output driving force that lifts the sheet supporting portion, a rotation shaft rotatably supported by the storage portion and including an engaging portion disposed on one end side in an axial direction, the engaging portion being configured to engage with the drive portion, a pressing portion fixed to the rotation shaft and configured to press the sheet supporting portion from below when the rotation shaft is rotated by the drive portion, and a rotary damper disposed so as to join with the rotation shaft on another end side of the rotation shaft and configured to reduce rotary motion of the rotation shaft.

An electronic dispenser comprising a housing; a feed roller rotatably mounted within the housing; a motor operable to drive rotation of the feed roller, and wherein the motor is at least partially within the feed roller; and wherein actuation of the motor results in a noise level, external to the housing, of less than 53 A-weighted decibels.

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.

A sheet conveyor includes a feed roller configured to contact a sheet from above and feed the sheet in a sheet feed direction, a frictional member disposed downstream from the feed roller, a separation roller disposed downstream from the feed roller and facing the frictional member from above, and a guide portion located downstream from the feed roller and upstream from the separation roller. The guide portion includes a pointed portion located above a portion of a common tangent to the feed roller and the separation roller when viewed in a cross section that is orthogonal to an axial direction of the feed roller and an axial direction of the separation roller. The pointed portion is located along a width direction of the sheet. The guide portion is configured to guide the sheet fed over the pointed portion toward a nip between the separation roller and the frictional member.