An image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit that forms an image and a guiding member that guides a sheet on which the image has been formed by the image forming unit. At least one of irregularities and holes are formed on or in a surface of the guiding member that guides the sheet.

An image forming apparatus includes a tray, a casing having a first outlet, a second outlet above the first outlet, a first path, and a second path, a stack lever, a drive source, and a controller. The second path communicates with the second outlet such that a sheet conveyed along the second path is partially discharged from the second outlet and is reversed along the second path. The first outlet communicates with the first path such that the sheet conveyed along the first path is discharged from the first outlet onto the tray. The stack lever is movable between a first position where the stack lever presses a sheet on the tray and a second position higher than the first position. The controller is configured to control the drive source such that, when the sheet is discharged from the second outlet, the stack lever is at the second position.

An apparatus for dispensing absorbent sheet products includes a store with an absorbent web which is to be dispensed, a conveying mechanism with at least one conveying element for feeding the absorbent web and a mechanism for severing the web so as to form absorbent sheet products. The apparatus further includes a mechanism for collecting electrical charges caused by static electricity, a mechanism for directing electrical charges to another element within the apparatus for dispensing, and a mechanism for neutralising or consuming the electrical charges.

A destaticizing brush includes a grounding member, a conductive brush member, and an adhesive tape member. The conductive brush member is bent back in a U-turn shape along an outer periphery of the grounding member in a direction in which a longitudinal direction intersects the grounding member such that the conductive brush member is in electric contact with the grounding member. An outer periphery of the conductive brush member that has been bent back and the grounding member are adhered in an integrated manner with the adhesive tape member, and at least one end of the conductive brush member is exposed from the adhesive tape member.

The invention concerns a gripper (1) adapted to be used in an automated system for handling flexible substrates provided in a pile. The gripper (1) is rotatably arranged on an arm (6) of a robot and comprises a lower finger (7) and an upper finger (8). The lower finger (7) comprises a sharp, wedge-shaped edge (14), which is adapted to enable insertion of the lower finger (7) between substrates of the pile. The lower finger (7) has a round tip (11), which extends to at least one side of the lower finger (7) and forms a smooth, wedge-shaped edge (15), wherein the sharp, wedge-shaped edge (14) is arranged on the at least one side remote from the round tip (11) and substantially in level with but protruding further than the smooth, wedge-shaped edge (15).

Disclosed is a sheet conveyance guide unit. The sheet conveyance guide unit includes a first sheet guide member which is of a sheet-like shape and which guides a sheet on which an image is formed and a second sheet guide member which is of a sheet-like shape and which is attached on a sheet guide surface of the first sheet guide member. A length of the second sheet guide member in a direction which crosses a sheet conveying direction is smaller than that of the first sheet guide member.

A sheet feeder, which is incorporated in an image forming apparatus, includes an attraction body disposed facing a bundle of sheets, a charger to charge the attraction body to electrostatically attract an uppermost sheet of the bundle of sheets to the attraction body, a liquid supplier to supply a liquid to dissolve discharge products to the attraction body, and a liquid remover to remove the liquid from the attraction body. Further, a method of removing discharge products includes counting the number of sheets fed from a sheet container, determining that the number of sheets reaches a predetermined threshold value, confirming that a current time falls within a predetermined period of time or receiving a turn off signal to turn off a power supply, removing the discharge products from a surface of an attraction body, and resetting the number of sheets or further turning off the power supply.

A sheet conveyance apparatus includes a housing, a rotationally driven conductive shaft, a conveyance roller, a drive transmission unit, a conductive bearing member, a conductive discharging member, a cover member, and a conductive grounding member. The bearing member rotatably supports one end side of a shaft in a sheet width direction. The conductive discharging member is disposed in the openings. The discharging member discharges sheets by contacting the sheets. The cover member is secured to the sidewall along the one end side of the housing in the sheet width direction. The cover member includes a conductive grounding portion for electrical grounding. The conductive grounding member contacts the bearing member and the one end side of the discharging member along the sheet width direction. The grounding member conducts the bearing member and the discharging member to the grounding portion of the cover member.

The invention concerns a gripper (1) adapted to be used in an automated system for handling flexible substrates provided in a pile. The gripper (1) is rotatably arranged on an arm (6) of a robot and comprises a lower finger (7) and an upper finger (8). The lower finger (7) comprises a sharp, wedge- shaped edge (14), which is adapted to enable insertion of said lower finger (7) between substrates of said pile. Said lower finger (7) has a round tip (11), which extends to at least one side of the lower finger (7) and forms a smooth, wedge-shaped edge (15), wherein said sharp, wedge-shaped edge (14) is arranged on said at least one side remote from said tip (11) and substantially in level with but protruding further than said smooth, wedge-shaped edge (15).

The present disclosure describes a looped pile static reduction blanket or cloth, an apparatus including the looped pile static reduction blanket, and a technique to neutralize static and static patterns from a polymeric film surface during processing, to enable higher speeds and fewer defects during web transport and subsequent processing of wound film rolls, an apparatus including the looped pile static reduction cloth, and a technique to neutralize static from a polymeric shaped part during processing, to enable fewer defects. The looped pile static reduction blanket includes a static reduction engagement fabric that is resilient and can facilitate discharge of static from a web to ground before, during, and after contact with a charged web.