A diverter conveyor includes a main conveyor having an upper deck and a lower deck, the upper deck including a plurality of belts, and the lower deck including a plurality of contact elements such as wheels. A plurality of paddles is mounted downstream of an entrance end of the conveyor and an actuator is configured to shift the plurality of paddles from a first position outside a sheet transport path to a second position extending into the sheet transport path such that the plurality of paddles in the second position diverts sheets from the main transport path into a diverted path and onto a rejection support.

A sheet conveyance device includes a pair of conveyance rollers, a contact-release mechanism, an alignment mechanism, and a control portion. The contact-release mechanism moves first and second conveyance rollers, constituting the pair of conveyance rollers, into contact with and away from each other. The alignment mechanism aligns a sheet conveyed along the sheet conveyance passage in a sheet width direction. The alignment mechanism includes a pair of alignment members movable toward and away from each other in the sheet width direction and aligning the sheet in the sheet width direction by making contact, from both sides in the sheet width direction, with side edges of the sheet. The control portion controls the contact-release mechanism to move the first and second conveyance rollers away from each other, and aligns the sheet with the pair of alignment members located opposite each other in the sheet width direction.

An image forming apparatus includes an image forming portion to form an image on a sheet, a tray on which sheets to be fed are stacked, and a swing member supported by the tray and configured to swing in a case where the swing member is pushed by a discharged sheet. A stacking portion includes a first surface on an upper portion of a first portion, and a moving member in contact with the discharged sheet. The moving member can be positioned at a position downstream of the first surface in the discharge direction, wherein the swing member overlaps with the first surface as viewed in the sheet width direction in a case where the swing member is not in contact with a discharged sheet, and the swing member is arranged such that a lower end of the swing member is not in contact with the stacking portion.

A storing and issuing module (10) including a storage roller (50), a motor (60) associated with the storage roller (50), at least one transport tape (52) configured to wrap onto the storage roller (50) together with flexible documents, such as banknotes, conveyed in a conveying section provided with holding means (53, 54) actuatable for engaging flexible documents to be stored or issued with the transport tape (52), wherein the storing and issuing module (50) is capable of handling large storage capacity thanks to a mechanical layout that minimizes variations in the conveying section despite the great variations of the outer diameter of the storage roller due to the large capacity thereof.

A sheet conveyer having a conveyer path to convey a sheet therein, a first path and a second path branched from the conveyer path, a flapper, a pair of pivot-shaft portions, and a supporting section, is provided. The flapper is movable between a first position to guide the sheet from the conveyer path to the first path and a second position to guide the sheet from the conveyer path to the second position. The pivot-shaft portions are located apart from each other in a widthwise direction. The pivot-shaft portions support the flapper pivotably. The supporting section is located between the pair of pivot-shaft portions in the widthwise direction. The supporting section supports the flapper pivotably. The supporting section includes a rotation-shaft portion being rotatable, a bearing portion, in which the rotation-shaft portion is fitted, and a buffer member located between the rotation-shaft portion and the bearing portion.

An image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit to form an image on a sheet, a conveyance guide unit, and a conveyance unit. The conveyance guide unit conveys the sheet on which the image is to be formed by the image forming unit. The conveyance unit conveys the sheet toward a first conveyance guide unit. The conveyance guide unit includes an urging member, a rotary member to be urged by the urging member and to rotate while abutting the sheet, a holding unit holding the urging member and the rotary member, and the first conveyance guide unit that is detachably attached to the holding unit to guide the sheet. The first conveyance guide unit includes a pressed portion, and the pressed portion is to be pressed by the sheet conveyed by the conveyance unit and has strength less than strength of the holding unit.

An image forming apparatus includes an apparatus main body, an output tray, and a holding member. The output tray is rotatable about a first rotation shaft between a closed position and an open position. The holding member is rotatable about a second rotation shaft. The output tray comes into contact with the holding member halfway through rotation of the output tray from the closed to the open position. When the output tray is rotated to the open position, the holding member rotates to a retracted position while being in contact with the output tray. When viewed in a direction crossing a recording-material discharge direction, the first rotation shaft is located downstream from the second rotation shaft in the discharge direction, and a center of gravity of the holding member is located downstream from the second rotation shaft in the discharge direction when the holding member is at the retracted position.

Sheet collating device for accumulating sheets from at least one hopper, comprising: a lower transport path and an upper transport path; a switchable guide for directing the sheets from the at least one hopper to the lower or the upper transport path; left and right upper drive shafts connected to a right and a left upper drive pulleys supporting a pair of upper belts, a drive direction of the pair of upper belts being changed dependent on what transport path of the upper and lower transport paths is selected; first and second lower drive shafts connected to a right and a left lower drive pulleys supporting first and second pairs of lower belts; and a first series of right paddles mounted on the first pair of lower belts and a first series of left paddles mounted on the second pair of lower belts for registering a collated set of sheets.

A document transporting device includes a main body unit that forms an inner side of an inverting path, a cover unit that exposes a portion of the inverting path, a movable unit, a transport roller, a driven roller, and a roller supporting unit that forms an outer side of the inverting path. By receiving a force from the cover unit, the roller supporting unit rotates in a direction in which the driven roller moves away from the transport roller. By receiving a force from the roller supporting unit, the movable unit rotates in a direction in which the movable unit retreats from the main body unit.

A sheet folding apparatus includes: a rotor having a first peripheral surface and a second peripheral surface with a radius smaller than that of the first peripheral surface and configured to convey a sheet; and a guide member configured to be movable between a first position where it guides a sheet being conveyed by the rotor and a second position retracting from the first position. The guide member is disposed so as to move from the second position to the first position while passing within the rotation locus of the first peripheral surface of the rotor.