A driving device includes a motor, a drive gear, a swing gear, a first gear member, a second gear member, a frame, and a bracket. The swing gear can swing between a first position engaging with the first gear member and a second position engaging with the second gear member. The bracket has a slide hole including a pair of contact parts having an arc shape, and an arc hole part for connecting the pair of contact parts with a first sliding surface farther from the drive gear and a second sliding surface nearer to the drive gear. The first sliding surface has a shape retracting to the opposite side to the rotation shaft from tangential lines of the rotation shaft contacting with the contact parts, which are parallel to pressure angle directions between the drive gear and the swing gear, or a shape coinciding with the tangential lines.

In accordance with an embodiment, an image processing apparatus comprises a sheet feed cassette, an operation lever, a sliding section, a sheet lifting and lowering tray, and a main body rail section. The sheet feed cassette is housed to be capable of being pulled out from an apparatus main body. The operation lever is arranged at the side of the sheet feed cassette and is rotatable around a shaft positioned at the middle in a longitudinal direction. The sliding section is arranged at the rear side of the shaft of the operation lever. The sheet lifting and lowering tray can place a sheet and adjust an inclination thereof in conjunction with the operation lever. The main body rail section is arranged in the apparatus main body and guides running of the sliding section at the time of pulling out the sheet feed cassette.

A sheet processing apparatus is provided with a carry-in path for guiding a sheet from a carry-in entrance, a shift roller provided in the carry-in path to transport the sheet, while shifting, a carry-in roller positioned on the downstream side of the shift roller to carry the sheet from the carry-in path toward a collection tray, and a punch shift unit provided on the upstream side of the carry-in roller to process an end portion of the sheet in a processing position. The punch shift unit shifts in the same direction as the shift roller, a shift amount of the punch shift unit is set to be equal to a shift amount of the shift roller or more, and the end portion processing unit is thereby already positioned in an end portion processing position or a position near the processing position after shifting the sheet.

A transport module for flat items comprising at least one transport element borne in a transport element carrier having a drive shaft is designed for installation in a station of an item processing system and, after installation, is borne rotatably around an axis of the drive shaft. It is one of multiple transport modules of an identical design. The transport element has, on one side, a lower friction coefficient than on the other side of an equator and is driven by the drive shaft via transmission means of the transport module. The transport element carrier carries the transmission means of the transport module and has a spring assembly allowing it to be shifted in the direction of gravity and contrary to it.

An image forming apparatus includes an option device, the option device is coupled with a lower surface of an apparatus main body. A second connector is configured to be displaced between a first position and a second position. A push portion is configured to be pressed toward an inside of the option device when the option device is coupled with the lower surface. A link portion is pivotably supported, coupled with both the push portion and the second connector, and configured to, interlocking with the push portion being pressed, cause the second connector to be displaced from second position to first position. A first coupling portion couples the push portion with the link portion. A second coupling portion is configured to couple the second connector with the link portion. The first coupling portion and/or the second coupling portion is configured to release the coupling with the link portion.

A delivery mechanism of business machine including a carrier board, an assembly rack, a delivery wheel group and at least one linkage assembly is provided. The assembly rack is disposed above the carrier board. The delivery wheel group includes at least one first roller and at least one second roller. The first roller is disposed on the carrier board. The second roller is disposed on the assembly rack and leans on the first rollers. The linkage assembly includes a rotation member and a paper flattening member. The rotation member is pivotally disposed on the assembly rack. The two opposite ends of the paper flattening member are respectively disposed at the rotation member and the assembly rack, such that the paper flattening member can be displaced along a curved path.

A placement station for placing flat items has multiple transport elements extending through a related opening in a placement deck of the placement station. All transport elements are driven by a single drive motor via toothed belt discs and toothed belts. At least one trigger sensor is arranged in the placement station on the exit side of the mail-item flow. The drive motor and the trigger sensor are electrically connected with means for controlling the transport speed of the flat items. Each transport element is carried by a transport module. The placement station has multiple transport modules, each extending with a transport element mounted on its head side through a related opening in a placement deck of the placement station. The transport modules are lowerable below the placement deck in a direction contrary to a spring force. The direction of traction can be changed by turning at least one transport module before or during operation of the placement station. Each transport element has a barrel-shaped body with an equator, wherein different friction values of said body of the transport element are provided on both sides of the equator. The transport modules are directionally positioned such that the half of the body of the transport element with the higher friction value is closest to the alignment wall.

An image forming apparatus includes an opening and closing unit attached to an image forming apparatus body. The opening and closing unit includes: an exterior member pivotably attached to the image forming apparatus body via a first shaft; a base member provided inside the exterior member and pivotably attached to the image forming apparatus body via a second shaft so as to be able to move with the exterior member; and an extension member attached to the base member in a manner capable of being pulled out and retracted.

A noise dampened re-drive assembly for an imaging device. The re-drive assembly includes a two position, pivotally mounted diverter gate that is driven by a reversible motor coupled to a sector gear fixedly mounted to the diverter gate. A slot is provided in the sector gear with a stop pin positioned in the slot. An end of the slot strikes the stop pin as the diverter gate reaches one of its positions. A cantilevered mounted T-shaped dampener having a dampening finger at each of its free ends is mounts in the slot. As the end of the slot nears the stop pin when the diverter gate approaches one of its two positions, the dampening finger adjacent thereto engages the stop pin and reduces the acoustical impulse of the slot end striking the stop pin. A pair of dampeners mounted in a mirror image fashion may be provided in the slot.

A sheet supplying apparatus includes a supply part, a cover, a base tray, an interlock mechanism, and an auxiliary tray. The supply part is provided in the apparatus body. The cover is provided to be turnable between a close position and an open position. The base tray composes a part of a loading surface on which the sheet is loaded, and is movable in a conveyance direction with respect to the cover. The interlock mechanism moves the base tray by interlocking with the cover turning, and moves the base tray by interlocking with the cover turning. The auxiliary tray is displaceable between a storage position and a raising position. An engage part includes a lifting part. The lifting part comes into pressure contact with an engaged part and displaces the auxiliary tray from the storage position to the raising position.