An image reading apparatus includes an original tray, an original feeding portion, an original reading portion, an original discharging portion, an original discharge tray, an extension tray, and a rotation guide. A stacking surface of the original discharge tray is provided with an opening through which the rotation guide is capable of passing when the rotation guide rotates from a first position to a second position. In a state in which the extension tray is held at a pulled-out position, the rotation guide is rotatable relative to the extension tray from the first position toward the second position. In a state in which the extension tray is held at an accommodated position, the rotation guide is rotatable from the first position toward the second position by passing through the opening.

A method for franking mail items fed to a franking machine. The mail items are drawn from the underside of a stack for separation or are fed individually on a conveying section upstream of the franking machine to a printing unit for franking, after franking, are discharged in the opposite direction from the printing unit. The mail items are fed via a diverter section to the conveying section, after franking, are conveyed via the diverter section which is switched over to change the conveying direction into a depositing apparatus below the diverter section. The mail items are guided in the opening region of the franking machine into the printing position and are returned out of the printing position. The printing position of a mail item fed to the printing unit is determined by a print head movement-controlled from a readiness position pursuant to the format length of the mail item.

An image reading apparatus, includes: a supply tray; a discharge tray; a conveyance guide; a reading sensor; a discharge unit, which includes a discharge opening to discharge the sheet conveyed by the conveyance guide to the discharge tray and is configured to move from a third position to a fourth as the document supported by the paper feed tray is decreased, the fourth position being higher than the third position; a first drive source, which generates a drive force; a first rotation body, which moves the movable plate by transmitting the drive force from the first drive source to the movable plate; and a second rotation body, which moves the discharge unit by transmitting the drive force from the first drive source to the discharge unit, wherein a diameter of the first rotation body and a diameter of the second rotation body are different from each other.

There is disclosed a sheet media processing machine comprising a media inlet to receive sheet media along a feed direction from a first side of the machine and a media outlet to discharge sheet media along a discharge direction towards the first side of the machine. There is a feed mechanism to convey sheet media from the media inlet to the media outlet, and a re-feed prevention element disposed upstream of the media inlet with respect to the feed direction to inhibit recirculation of discharged sheet media along an external recirculation path between the media outlet and the media inlet. The re-feed prevention element is exposed to contact with sheet media and comprises an elastomer. There is also disclosed a feed guide comprising a re-feed prevention element, and a method in which such a feed guide is installed on a sheet media processing machine.

An example disclosed output hopper includes a cavity to receive media units from an output of a media processing device, the cavity to cause the media units to form a stack in a first direction; a first door pivotably movable between a closed position and an open position, the first door to retain the media units in the cavity when in the closed position, wherein the first door is configured to pivot on a first axis substantially parallel to the first direction; wherein: the first door includes a first cutout at a first top edge of the first door; and the first cutout allow the media units to spill over the first and second top edges when a capacity of the cavity is exceeded.

An image reading apparatus includes a document support portion, a cover portion which is capable of opening and closing, a first surface of which forms an apparatus top surface, and a second surface of which forms a support surface which supports the document, and a base frame which forms the apparatus top surface, in which the document support portion is provided to be capable of rotational movement and is capable of switching between a first posture and a second posture, in which the first surface of the cover portion forms the apparatus top surface which runs along a horizontal direction together with a top surface of the base frame in the closed state, and in which, in the first posture, a portion of the document support portion is at a height position running along the second surface of the cover portion in the closed state.

A document conveyance device includes a supply tray, a discharge tray, a conveyance part, a discharge part, and a lifting and lowering part. The lifting and lowering part lifts the supply tray and the discharge part according to a feeding of the document. When the feeding of the document to the document conveyance path is completed and then the supply tray is lifted, in a small number of documents discharge state where the height of the documents stacked on the discharge tray is less than the specified value, the lifting and lowering part positions the supply tray at a taking out position depart upward from the specified value by a predetermined space.

A media processing device includes: a housing having an opening providing access to a cassette removably supported within the housing; a media unit holder configured to receive a rejected media unit driven between the opening and a body of the cassette along a media reject path; the media unit holder including: a deck having a support surface between a body of the cassette and the opening, the support surface facing the opening; the deck configured to receive the rejected media unit on the support surface for removal of the rejected media unit via the opening.

A medium feeding apparatus includes a pickup roller that feeds a medium from a medium mount section. A support member supports a pickup roller and swings around a swing axis to switch between a feeding position and a non-feeding position. A separation roller separates the medium from other media. A feed roller feeds the medium toward the downstream end. The separation and feed rollers are disposed downstream of the pickup roller. A control section controls a position of the support member. After the pickup roller and the feed roller start rotating, when the control section determines that the separation roller stops rotating or returns the medium by rotating in a reverse direction, based on a detection signal from a rotation sensing section configured to detect rotation of the separation roller, the control section causes the support member to switch from the feeding position to the non-feeding position.

An example disclosed output hopper includes a cavity to receive media units from an output of a media processing device, the cavity to cause the media units to form a stack in a first direction; a first door pivotably movable between a closed position and an open position, the first door to retain the media units in the cavity when in the closed position; a second door movable between the closed position and the open position, the second door to retain the media units in the cavity when in the closed position; wherein the first door is configured to pivot on a first axis substantially parallel to the first direction; and the second door is configured to pivot on a second axis substantially parallel to the first direction.