A sheet processing apparatus includes a first sheet conveyance path, a second sheet conveyance path that branches from the first sheet conveyance path at a branch portion on the first sheet conveyance path and merges with the first sheet conveyance path at a merging portion, and a control unit. The control unit controls a guide unit so as to guide a first sheet conveyed first in the sheet bundle to be processed by a sheet processing unit to the second sheet conveyance path, and guide a second sheet following the first sheet to the first sheet conveyance path to merge the first and second sheets in an overlapping manner at the merging portion, and guide at least one of sheets following the second sheet among a plurality of sheets constituting the sheet bundle to the second sheet conveyance path.

A coating film transfer tool in which a rotational torque with the least variability may be generated without being affected by a surface state of a resilient body may include: a paying-out core having a coating film transfer tape wound thereon; and a rewinding core that rewinds the coating film transfer tape after use. The paying-out core and the rewinding core are interlocked via a power transmission mechanism in a case. The transmission mechanism generates a rotational torque by a frictional force on a sliding surface between components, by using a restoring force of a resilient body. The resilient body is configured to rotate integrally with a component A that comes into contact with one end of the resilient body and a component B that comes into contact with the other end.

An elastic roller is capable of elastic deformation at low load, lightweight and low-cost, and the surface speed of the roller has been made stable. At a drawing showing the view from the side of pipe 2 and flange 3 which make up roller 1, roller 1 which has pipe 2 and flange 3 is supported by shaft 8 which is inserted therein along axis 8a of shaft 8, the situation being such that elastic deformation occurs upon being pressed downward by pressure P from pressure-applying body 11 above pipe. None of the four outermost ribs 7a disposed in outermost gap 6a between outermost ring 4a of flange 3 and middle ring 4b which is mutually adjacent thereto and toward the interior therefrom is present in the upper portion of pipe 2.

A coating film transfer tool in which a rotational torque with the least variability may be generated without being affected by a surface state of a resilient body may include: a paying-out core having a coating film transfer tape wound thereon; and a rewinding core that rewinds the coating film transfer tape after use. The paying-out core and the rewinding core are interlocked via a power transmission mechanism in a case. The transmission mechanism generates a rotational torque by a frictional force on a sliding surface between components, by using a restoring force of a resilient body. The resilient body is configured to rotate integrally with a component A that comes into contact with one end of the resilient body and a component B that comes into contact with the other end.

A transfer transporting device includes multiple rollers, an endless belt, a pair of support members, and a pair of unloading members. The rollers include a driving roller and a driven roller. The driving roller is disposed closer to an image carrier that has a toner image formed thereon and that holds the toner image. The driven roller is disposed apart from the driving roller downstream in a sheet transport direction. The endless belt is wound around the rollers. The pair of support members each have an outer wall surface facing a side end surface of the belt. The pair of support members are disposed on both sides of the belt to rotatably support a rotation shaft protruding from side end surfaces of the driving roller. The pair of unloading members are interposed between the outer wall surfaces of the pair of support members and the side end surfaces of the driving roller. The pair of unloading members each reduce, while being in contact with a corresponding one of the side end surfaces of the belt, a driving load on the driving roller further than in a case where the side end surfaces of the belt come into direct contact with the outer wall surfaces. The image carrier and the belt hold therebetween a sheet transported thereto to transfer the toner image on the image carrier to the sheet, and transport the sheet downstream.

Disclosed is a paper-sheet-feeding/conveying roller having a shaft, and a bi-layer roller material which is formed of an inner layer provided on the shaft and an outer layer. The inner layer provided on the shaft is a foamed elastic layer. The outer layer provided on the foamed elastic layer is a non-foamed elastic layer. The foamed elastic layer is formed of a foamed elastic body of silicone-modified EPDM.

A sheet discharging apparatus configured to discharge a sheet includes a discharging portion, a contact member, and a detector. The discharging portion discharges a sheet so as to be bent in a curved shape in a width direction of the sheet, perpendicular to a discharging direction of the sheet when viewed in a sheet discharging direction. The contact member is moved by contact with the sheet discharged by the discharging portion, wherein the contact member includes a contact surface to be in contact with the sheet which is inclined along the curved shape of the sheet in the width direction of the sheet when viewed in the sheet discharging direction. The detector detects a discharging of the sheet based on the movement of the contact member.

A segment roller (1) has a roller body (2), which is mounted rotatably about an axis (3). To this end, the roller body (2) has on the outside grooves (9), in which tongues (8) of profiles (7) engage. These profiles (7) grip the material web (5) directly or indirectly. In order to increase the working life and improve the mechanical properties of the profiles (7), the profiles (7) are of shear-resistant configuration and have elastic lips (20). These elastic lips (20) are deformed upon the engagement of the tongue (8) in the groove (9).

A belt conveying apparatus includes: an endless belt member; a belt conveying roller that rotatably stretches the belt member; a pair of regulating members, disposed at both end parts of the belt conveying roller, that regulates movement of the belt member in a width direction thereof; a moving mechanism that moves at least one of the pair of regulating members in the width direction; and a supporting member that supports the belt member in an area extending in the width direction after the regulating member has moved.

A detector, which is included in a sheet feeding device, a sheet conveying device, an image forming apparatus and an image reading device, contacts and detects a sheet, and includes a base, a sheet contact face to which the sheet contacts, and a coat layer formed on the sheet contact face. A difference of a static coefficient of friction s of the coat layer and a kinetic coefficient of friction d of the coat layer is smaller than and equal to 0.12.