A sheet stacker includes a tray to store a stack of sheets, a conveyor above the tray, a leading end guide above the tray, and an air exhaust. The conveyor conveys a sheet in a conveyance direction. The leading end guide is downstream from the conveyor in the conveyance direction. The leading end guide guides the sheet from the conveyor to the tray. The air exhaust exhausts air above an upper surface of the stack of sheets on the tray to an upstream from the tray in the conveyance direction. Further, the leading end guide holds a leading end of the sheet conveyed by the conveyor at a holding position and releases the leading end of the sheet at a release position downstream from the holding position in the conveyance direction.

A sheet feeder, which is included in an image forming apparatus, includes a sheet loader, an air blowing device, a regulator, a sheet attracting device, and a sheet conveying body. The sheet loader loads a sheet bundle including a sheet and a subsequent sheet placed below the sheet. The air blowing device blows air and lifts the sheet over the sheet bundle. The regulator regulates movement of the subsequent sheet, and includes an opposing portion located upper end and separated from the sheet loader toward the downstream side of the sheet conveying direction and an inclined portion upwardly inclined relative to a vertical axis from a same position as the sheet loader to the downstream side of the sheet conveying direction. The sheet attracting device attracts the sheet lifted over the sheet bundle. The sheet conveying body conveys the sheet in a sheet conveying direction.

A medium processing apparatus includes a processing unit that performs processing on a sheet-like medium; an outer wall on which a discharge port, from which the medium processed by the processing unit is discharged, is open; a stacking portion that has a stacking surface on which the medium discharged from the discharge port is stacked; a suction unit that sucks air on the stacking surface via a suction port provided below the discharge port; and a control unit that controls a workload of the suction unit. The control unit reduces the workload of the suction unit according to an open area of the suction port which is occluded by the medium stacked on the stacking portion and is decreased.

A sheet feeding device includes a sheet stacking table, an air blower, a feeder, and an air sucker. The sheet stacking table stacks a bundle of sheets. The air blower blows air to the bundle of sheets to float an uppermost sheet from the bundle of sheets. The feeder feeds the uppermost sheet. The air sucker sucks air in such a direction that a sheet in vicinity of the uppermost sheet moves away from the feeder. The air sucker includes a suction nozzle to suck air, a suction fan to generate a negative pressure, a suction duct to communicate the suction nozzle with the suction fan, and an opening-and-closing mechanism to shut off and release ventilation in the suction duct.

A sheet feeding device includes a sheet stacking table, an air blower, a feeder, and an air sucker. The sheet stacking table stacks a bundle of sheets. The air blower blows air to the bundle of sheets to float an uppermost sheet from the bundle of sheets. The feeder feeds the uppermost sheet. The air sucker sucks air in such a direction that a sheet in vicinity of the uppermost sheet moves away from the feeder. The air sucker includes a suction nozzle to suck air, a suction fan to generate a negative pressure, a suction duct to communicate the suction nozzle with the suction fan, and an opening-and-closing mechanism to shut off and release ventilation in the suction duct.

A medium processing apparatus includes a processing unit that performs processing on a sheet-like medium; an outer wall on which a discharge port, from which the medium processed by the processing unit is discharged, is open; a stacking portion that has a stacking surface on which the medium discharged from the discharge port is stacked; a suction unit that sucks air on the stacking surface via a suction port provided below the discharge port; and a control unit that controls a workload of the suction unit. The control unit reduces the workload of the suction unit according to an open area of the suction port which is occluded by the medium stacked on the stacking portion and is decreased.

A method of continuous processing of flexible glass ribbon having a thickness of no more than 0.35 mm using a glass processing apparatus is provided. The method includes providing the glass processing apparatus having at least three processing zones including a first processing zone, a second processing zone and a third processing zone. The flexible glass ribbon is continuously fed from the first processing zone, through the second processing zone to the third processing zone. Rate of the flexible glass ribbon is controlled through each of the first processing zone, second processing zone and third processing zone using a global control device. The second processing zone has a conveyance path for the flexible glass ribbon through a cutting zone having a radius of curvature of from about 100 inches to about 400 inches.

A sheet feeder, which is included in an image forming apparatus, includes a sheet loader, an air blowing device, a regulator, a sheet attracting device, and a sheet conveying body. The sheet loader loads a sheet bundle including a sheet and a subsequent sheet placed below the sheet. The air blowing device blows air and lifts the sheet over the sheet bundle. The regulator regulates movement of the subsequent sheet, and includes an opposing portion located upper end and separated from the sheet loader toward the downstream side of the sheet conveying direction and an inclined portion upwardly inclined relative to a vertical axis from a same position as the sheet loader to the downstream side of the sheet conveying direction. The sheet attracting device attracts the sheet lifted over the sheet bundle. The sheet conveying body conveys the sheet in a sheet conveying direction.

A sheet stacking device (77) is provided with a sheet discharge platform (76) on which image forming sheets (P), which have been subjected to heating and drying processing after images are formed using ink, are stacked; and a nozzle (162) that blows air to a side surface of a sheet bundle in a horizontal direction. Air is blown to the sheet bundle stacked on the sheet discharge platform (76) while the height of the sheet discharge platform (76) is adjusted by a sheet discharge platform raising and lowering device (100) so that a gap is formed between the sheets in the vertically middle portion of the sheet bundle. According to the sheet stacking device (77), a plurality of image forming sheets (P) can be efficiently cooled on the sheet discharge platform. Accordingly, the occurrence of blocking can be suppressed.