A media folding device includes a stacking portion on which media transported from an introduction path are placed; a folding roller pair that folds the media at a folding position after the media have been stacked in the stacking portion; and a bend forming mechanism that includes a first abutting portion configured to abut against a front end of the media, which are stacked in the stacking portion, in a transport direction, and a second abutting portion that is configured to abut against a rear end of the media, which are stacked in the stacking portion, in the transport direction, and that causes the folding position of the media to be nipped by the folding roller pair the folding roller pair by shortening the relative distance between the first abutting portion and the second abutting portion to bend the media toward the folding roller pair.

A fold-enforcing assembly includes a fold-enforcing device, a moving device to move the fold-enforcing device in a direction of a fold of a sheet bundle, and control circuitry. The fold-enforcing device includes a pressing member pair to nip and press the fold of the sheet bundle in a direction of thickness, a pressing mechanism to pressurize and depressurize the pressing member pair, and a driver to drive the pressing mechanism. Controlled by the control circuitry, the moving device moves the fold-enforcing device in accordance with a size of the sheet bundle in the direction of the fold; pressing mechanism pressurizes the pressing member pair to press a first end portion of the sheet bundle in the direction of the fold; the moving device moves the fold-enforcing device to a second end portion of the sheet bundle; and pressing mechanism depressurizes the pressing member pair in the second end portion.

A medium transporting apparatus includes a mounting portion configured to mount a medium, and a pressing portion configured to switch between a first state for pressing the medium against the mounting portion and a second state for releasing the medium. The pressing portion takes the first state in waiting for the medium to the mounting portion, switches to the second state in response to the sent medium and returns to the first state after the medium is sent to the mounting portion. When the last medium is mounted on the mounting portion, a timing at which the pressing portion returns to the first state from the second state is delayed with respect to the timing of the return therebefore.

Provided are systems and methods for identifying, isolating, and/or aligning sheets. An identification system can facilitate accurate identification of a sheet by (i) vacating one or more components of the system that are not the sheet from a zone of detection, and/or (ii) determining a reference axis of the sheet. An isolation system can facilitate accurate isolation of a sheet by (i) providing targeted air flow, and/or (ii) introducing a wave into the sheet. Identification systems and/or isolation systems described herein may facilitate isolation of sheets that were previously fastened together by one or more fasteners. An alignment system can facilitate accurate alignment of a first sheet at an upstream location relative to a second sheet at a downstream location via machine learning.

A sheet processing apparatus is described. The sheet processing apparatus includes a housing section, a conveyance mechanism and a controller. The housing section accommodates a sheet. The conveyance mechanism conveys the sheet accommodated in the housing section to a predetermined position at the downstream side in a sheet conveyance direction. The controller controls the conveyance mechanism to remove a needle-free binding section of a sheet bundle if a conveyance jam of the sheet occurs.

A sheet bundle discharging apparatus K, including: a conveyance unit 66 configured to convey a sheet bundle; a guide unit 72 configured to guide the sheet bundle conveyed by the conveyance unit; a discharging unit 90 configured to discharge the sheet bundle to an outside of the sheet bundle discharging apparatus; and a receiving unit 81 configured to receive the sheet bundle guided by the guide unit, wherein the receiving unit includes: a contact portion 81c with which a leading end portion of the sheet bundle, which is guided by the guide unit, in a moving direction of the sheet bundle is to be brought into contact; and a pushing portion 81b, which is formed integrally with the contact portion, and is configured to push a first surface of the sheet bundle, and wherein the receiving unit is rotatable between a first position and a second position, and is configured to receive the sheet bundle in the first position and rotate from the first position to the second position, thereby allowing the pushing portion to push the first surface of the sheet bundle to place a second surface of the sheet bundle, which is on a side opposite to the first surface, on the discharging unit.

A sheet bundle discharging apparatus, including: a guide unit configured to guide a sheet bundle with a spine as a leading end; a receiving unit configured to receive the spine of the sheet bundle guided by the guide unit; and a discharging unit configured to discharge the sheet bundle, wherein the receiving unit includes: a first surface configured to receive the spine at a first position; a second surface configured to push the sheet bundle in a rotation direction of the receiving unit; and a third surface configured to regulate a movement of the sheet bundle in the rotation direction while the receiving unit rotates from the first position to a second position, and wherein a friction coefficient between the sheet bundle and the third surface in a direction away from the first surface is larger than a friction coefficient between the first surface and the sheet bundle.

A medium feeding device includes: a medium mounting section that a medium is mounted; a feeding unit that feeds the medium in a feeding direction; a separation unit that separates the medium with the feeding unit; an operation detection unit that is disposed at a position facing a surface of the medium in the medium mounting section and detects a movement of the medium in the feeding direction; an interval forming unit that forms an interval in the feeding direction between a trailing end of a first medium which is the lowest medium fed among media mounted on the medium mounting section and a trailing end of a second medium which is bound with the first medium and stacked on the first medium; and a control unit that stops feeding of the medium based on a detection interval by a detection value of the operation detection unit.

An image forming apparatus, including: a printing unit configured to print on a sheet; a bookbinding unit configured to perform a cutting process of cutting a binding member for binding a plurality of sheets before sheets printed by the printing unit are stacked on a stack tray and perform a binding process of binding the sheets by the cut binding member; and a controller configured to cause the bookbinding unit to perform the cutting process of the binding member based on sheet size information, the controller controls, in a case of producing a plurality of copies of bookbound products, not to perform the cutting process of the binding member of a second copy while sheets are stacking as a first copy, but to perform the cutting process of the binding member of a next copy while sheets are stacking as each of the second copy and subsequent copies.

Provided are systems and methods for identifying, isolating, and/or aligning sheets. An identification system can facilitate accurate identification of a sheet by (i) vacating one or more components of the system that are not the sheet from a zone of detection, and/or (ii) determining a reference axis of the sheet. An isolation system can facilitate accurate isolation of a sheet by (i) providing targeted air flow, and/or (ii) introducing a wave into the sheet. Identification systems and/or isolation systems described herein may facilitate isolation of sheets that were previously fastened together by one or more fasteners. An alignment system can facilitate accurate alignment of a first sheet at an upstream location relative to a second sheet at a downstream location via machine learning.