A handling system (100) for handling stackable flat elements, in particular carton elements. The system (100) includes a supporting table (102) on which at least an edge portion (303) of a stack (101) of flat elements is supportable, a clamping device (103) configured for clamping a first part (113) of the edge portion of the stack (101) to the supporting table (102), and a lifting device (104) configured for lifting a second part (114) of the stack (101) from the supporting table (102). The lifting device (104) and the clamping device (103) are arranged to the supporting table (102) such that the stack (101) is bendable by clamping the first part (113) of the stack (101) onto the supporting table (102) by the clamping device (103) and lifting the second part (114) of the stack (101) from the supporting table (102) by the lifting device (104) at the same time such that the stack (101) is bent around a bending axis (109), wherein the bending axis (109) extends within a plane parallel to a supporting plane (112) of the supporting surface (111).

An image forming apparatus includes a sheet container accommodating a recording medium therein, a sheet separating feeder including a sheet feeding body and a sheet separating body, an image forming part, and a bend applier. The sheet feeding body feeds the recording medium along with a surface movement thereof while the recording medium contacting the surface thereof. The sheet separating body forms a sheet separation nip region with the sheet feeding body and sandwiches the recording medium in the sheet separation nip region. The sheet separating feeder separates and feeds the recording medium contacting the sheet feeding body. The image forming part forms an image on the recording medium. The bend applier having a leading end of an elastic material contacts and bends the recording medium before the sheet separation nip region and generates a wrinkle extending on the recording medium in a sheet conveying direction.

An image forming apparatus includes a sheet container accommodating a recording medium therein, a sheet separating feeder including a sheet feeding body and a sheet separating body, an image forming part, and a bend applier. The sheet feeding body feeds the recording medium along with a surface movement thereof while the recording medium contacting the surface thereof. The sheet separating body forms a sheet separation nip region with the sheet feeding body and sandwiches the recording medium in the sheet separation nip region. The sheet separating feeder separates and feeds the recording medium contacting the sheet feeding body. The image forming part forms an image on the recording medium. The bend applier having a leading end of an elastic material contacts and bends the recording medium before the sheet separation nip region and generates a wrinkle extending on the recording medium in a sheet conveying direction.

A sheet conveyance apparatus includes a reverse conveyance portion and a second conveyance direction, a supporting portion configured to support a lower surface of the sheet conveyed by the reverse conveyance portion, and an opposing portion provided along and above the supporting portion. Either one of the supporting portion and the opposing portion comprises a first projected portion. The other of the supporting portion and the opposing portion comprises a second projected portion and a third projected portion. The first projected portion is arranged between the second projected portion and the third projected portion in a width direction intersecting with the first conveyance direction. At least a part of the first projected portion is arranged to overlap with the second projected portion and the third projected portion in a sheet thickness direction.

A sheet feeding apparatus includes a feeding rotating member to feed a sheet, and a separating portion to separate and feed one by one the sheet fed by the feeding rotating member. The separating portion includes a separating rotating member to feed a sheet and a separating member to form a separation nip portion by abutting on the separating rotating member. In addition, a sheet stacking portion on which sheets are stacked is disposed to face the feeding rotating member, and a sheet introducing portion guides the sheet toward the separating portion. The sheet introducing portion being is in a downstream side of the sheet stacking portion and positioned above a tangent line at a contacting point between the feeding rotating member and the sheet stacking portion in a vertical direction. A gap portion is disposed on the sheet introducing portion and outside of the feeding rotating member in a sheet width direction perpendicular to a sheet feeding direction and curves the sheet fed by the feeding rotating member in the sheet width direction.

A sheet discharge device includes: a conveying portion which conveys the sheet in a conveying direction with the sheet interposed between a first roller and a second roller; a first conveying guide; a second conveying guide; a rotating portion which is disposed on a shaft of the first roller and has an outer diameter larger than that of the first roller; and a guide portion which is provided in the first conveying guide and in which an interval between the guide portion and the opposite second conveying guide becomes narrower toward a downstream side in the conveying direction, the guide portion being located at a position corresponding to the rotating portion in a sheet width direction orthogonal to the conveying direction.

A sheet conveyor is provided for transporting a sheet. The sheet conveyor includes a supplying conveyor, a receiving conveyor and a sheet guidance unit. The receiving conveyor includes a support surface arranged for supporting the sheet on a contact side of the sheet and an attraction unit arranged for attracting the sheet to the support surface. The supplying conveyor includes a transport belt being arranged for advancing the sheet in a transport direction along a transport path towards the support surface of the receiving conveyor; the sheet having two side edge portions relative to the transport path. The sheet guidance unit is arranged at a downstream end of the transport path for guiding the sheet towards the receiving conveyor, wherein said sheet guidance unit includes a lifting element arranged for lifting both side edge portions of the sheet away from the support surface while a middle portion of the sheet in between both side edge portions is guided towards the support surface.

A sheet conveying apparatus, including: a sheet conveying member; a guide portion configured to define a sheet conveying path; a pressing portion configured to press the sheet to curve the sheet as viewed in a sheet conveying direction in the sheet conveying path; and a moving portion movable by an edge of the sheet passing through the sheet conveying path and arranged so that at least a part of a movable range of the moving portion is overlapped with the pressing portion, wherein the moving portion includes: a first abutment portion configured to abut against the sheet passing through the sheet conveying path on one side in the width direction with respect to a conveyance center of the sheet conveying member; and a second abutment portion configured to abut against the sheet passing through the sheet conveying path on the other side with respect to the conveyance center.

A discharge device which discharges a sheet includes: a driving shaft which is driven to rotate by a driving source; a plurality of driving rotating members which is provided on the driving shaft; a rotating member which is provided on the driving shaft, has a larger outside diameter than an outside diameter of the driving rotating member, is formed by joining at least two divided components, and includes stepped portions that protrude, to a larger extent, in a radial direction in boundary portions of the at least two components on upstream sides of a rotation direction of the rotating member than on downstream sides thereof; and follower rotating members which are pressed against the driving rotating members.

A paper ejection tray assembly for ejecting paper in an ejecting direction in an image reading device includes a tray body including a stacking surface for stacking an ejected paper, and a pair of movable ribs which are arranged a predetermined distance apart from each other in a direction perpendicular to the ejection direction of the paper and which project out from the stacking surface of the tray body at least when paper is ejected from an ejection slot, the pair of ribs respectively have first inclined surfaces with heights from the stacking surface gradually becoming higher from the downstream side toward the upstream side of the ejection direction of the paper so as to guide the paper ejected from the ejection slot.