Ricoh Company, Ltd.

Hirofumi Horita

Mizuna Tanaka

Ikuo Fujii

Akira Kunieda

Yohsuke Haraguchi

Ippei Kimura

Satoshi Kuno

Yasunobu Kidoura

Ryohsuke Akaishi

Koju Kawakami

Toshikane Nishii

Jumpei Aoyama

Tomoya Tanaka

Haruyuki Honda

Junpei Kamichi

Hideto Higaki

Yuuki Shiga

Mitsutaka Nakamura

Yasuo Matsuyama

Kaoru Tada

Tomoyoshi Yamazaki

Hiroaki Nieda

Yoshitake Shimizu

Kenji Tomita

Kimihiro Tanaka

Takamitsu Ikematsu

Masanori Namba

Masaki Narita

Takashi Fujimoto

Yutaka Aso

Fumihiro Tsunoda

Ikuo Fujll

A sheet separation device includes a sheet separation unit, a displacement detector, a displacement adjuster, and a controller. The sheet separation unit performs a sheet separating operation and a sheet inserting operation. The displacement detector detects a displacement amount of the two-ply sheet when the two-ply sheet is displaced in a width direction of the two-ply sheet and detects a displacement amount of the inner sheet. The displacement adjuster adjusts the displacement of the two-ply sheet in the width direction before the sheet separating operation, based on the displacement amount of the two-ply sheet in the width direction detected by the displacement detector. The controller causes the displacement adjuster to adjust relative positions of the two-ply sheet and the inner sheet between the sheet separating operation and the sheet inserting operation, based on the displacement amount of the inner sheet in the width direction detected by the displacement detector.

Sheet separation device, sheet laminator, and image forming system

A sheet processing device includes a sheet storage and a sheet displacer. The sheet storage includes a first storage portion that includes a first wall that is one side wall of the sheet storage and a second wall that is part of another side wall of the sheet storage and a second storage portion that includes a third wall continuous to the first wall and the second wall. The sheet displacer displaces a preceding sheet stored in the sheet storage and contacts an upper end of the preceding sheet to displace the preceding sheet such that the upper end of the preceding sheet moves toward the third wall. The second wall and the third wall are coupled via a bent portion that bends in a manner such that a storage space of the second storage portion is greater than a storage space of the first storage portion.

Sheet processing device, sheet output device, laminator, image forming apparatus, and image forming system

A sheet feeder includes a sheet stacker, a sheet feed roller, a separation roller pair, and a lifter. Sheets are conveyed and stacked on the sheet stacker. The sheet feed roller feeds the sheets. The separation roller pair separates the sheets fed by the sheet feed roller one by one. The lifter lifts and lowers the sheet stacker depending on a stack amount of the sheets. The sheet stacker includes a first stacking face, a second stacking face, and a bent portion integrally connecting the stacking faces such that the stacking faces form a specified angle. The sheet stacker stacks the sheets such that a center of gravity of the sheets is positioned above the first stacking face and integrally displaces the stacking faces when the lifter operates.

Sheet feeder, laminator, image forming apparatus, and image forming system

A sheet processing apparatus including a sheet feeder, a sheet processing device, a sheet ejection device, a purge unit, a multifeed sensor, and circuitry. The sheet feeder feeds a sheet toward a sheet conveyance passage. The sheet processing device performs a predetermined operation on the sheet. The sheet ejection device stacks the sheet when the predetermined operation has been performed. The purge unit stacks the sheet when the predetermined operation has not been performed. The multifeed sensor detects whether sheets are multifed and a number of multifed sheets. The circuitry counts a number of sheets, determines that the sheets stacked in the purge unit is full when a number of counted sheets reaches a predetermined number of sheets, and conveys the multifed sheets toward the purge unit and adds the number of counted sheets according to the number of multifed sheets, in response to detection of the multifed sheets.

Sheet processing apparatus and image forming system

A sheet processing apparatus including a sheet feeder, a sheet processing device, a sheet ejection device, a purge unit, a multifeed sensor, a sheet sensor, and circuitry. The circuitry stops an operation of the sheet processing apparatus when the multifeed sensor has not detected multifeed of the sheet and the sheet sensor does not detect a trailing end of the sheet after a first set time from detection of a leading end of the sheet, stop the operation when the multifeed sensor has detected the multifeed and the sheet sensor does not detect the trailing end of the sheet after a second set time from the detection, and conveys the sheet toward the purge unit without stopping the operation when the multifeed sensor has detected the multifeed and the sheet sensor detects the trailing end of the sheet before the second set time elapses from the detection.

A sheet separation device that conveys a two-ply sheet in a state where the one side joined is located on an upstream side or a downstream side of the two-ply sheet in a conveyance direction, separates the two-ply sheet into the two sheets, and inserts an inner sheet from a non-joined side opposite the joined side in the sheet conveyance direction so that the inner sheet is sandwiched between the two sheets overlaid with each other includes a conveying roller pair including a pair of rollers and circuitry. The conveying roller pair conveys the two-ply sheet and holds a joined portion of in the two-ply sheet at which the two sheets are joined, at a nip portion of the conveying roller pair when the inner sheet is inserted into the two-ply sheet. The circuitry contacts the inner sheet against the joined portion of the two-ply sheet to perform skew correction.

Sheet separation device, laminator, image forming apparatus, and image forming system

An image forming system includes an image forming apparatus and a sheet laminator. The image forming apparatus forms an image on a sheet being conveyed as an inner sheet. The sheet laminator performs a sheet laminating operation on a two-ply sheet in which the sheet conveyed from the image forming apparatus is inserted between two sheets of the two-ply sheet. The sheet laminator includes a heater and circuitry. The heater heats the two-ply sheet during the sheet laminating operation. The circuitry is to execute a control mode when a specific abnormal event occurs among a plurality of abnormal events that occurs in the image forming apparatus, where the control mode maintains heating by the heater of the sheet laminator for a predetermined time and interrupt the heating by the heater when an abnormal event other than the specific abnormal event occurs.

Image forming system having sheet laminator

A sheet conveying device includes conveyance passage forming bodies to define a sheet conveyance passage, a nip forming body to form a conveying nip region in the sheet conveyance passage, and a flexible plate body having a support portion to be attached to another body and having a downstream-side end portion as a free end in a sheet conveying direction. The support portion of the flexible plate body is located on an upstream side in the sheet conveying direction with respect to the conveying nip region. The free end being located on a downstream side in the sheet conveying direction with respect to the conveying nip region.

Sheet conveying device, image reading device incorporating the sheet conveying device, image forming apparatus incorporating the sheet conveying device, and image forming system incorporating the sheet conveying device

A drive transmitter includes a first unit including a coupling portion having grooves spaced at an angle of 180 degrees in the rotational direction, and a second unit having projections spaced at an angle of 180 degrees in the rotational direction. The projections are configured to be inserted into the grooves of the coupling portion. The coupling portion has a guiding portion and a non-guiding portion. The guiding portion is sloped, with a height from a bottom face of the grooves decreasing in the rotational direction of the first unit, and is configured to guide the projections to the grooves. The non-guiding portion is disposed at a point symmetrical position to the guiding portion to an axial center of the first unit. One of the projections is not in contact with the non-guiding portion while another one of the projections is in contact with the guiding portion.

Drive transmitter, sheet feeding device incorporating the drive transmitter, and image forming apparatus incorporating the drive transmitter

A sheet container includes a bottom plate, a regulating body, and a holding body. The bottom plate is disposed movable and has a bottom plate-side contact portion. The regulating body regulates a position of a trailing end of a sheet. The holding body has a holding body-side contact portion and to hold the regulating body. The bottom plate and the holding body have a gap between the bottom plate-side contact portion of the bottom plate and the holding body-side contact portion of the holding body in a state in which the bottom plate is not rotated. The bottom plate-side contact portion of the bottom plate and the holding body-side contact portion of the holding body contact with each other along with rotation of the bottom plate. The holding body moves to a downstream side in a sheet feeding direction in conjunction with the rotation of the bottom plate.

Sheet container, sheet conveying device incorporating the sheet container, and image forming apparatus incorporating the sheet conveying device

A sheet feeding device, which is included in an image forming apparatus, includes a roller detachably attached to the image forming apparatus and configured to feed a sheet in a sheet conveying direction, a shaft configured to engage with the roller and transmit a driving force to the roller, a movable body configured to rotate in a direction of rotational axis and includes a holding portion configured to engage with the second engaging portion of the roller and rotatably hold the roller and a guide configured to guide attachment of the second engaging portion of the roller to the holding portion, and a biasing body configured to apply a biasing force and bias the movable body from a drive receiving side to a drive transmitting side.

Sheet feeding device and image forming apparatus incorporating the sheet feeding device

A drive transmission device, which is included in an image forming apparatus, includes a drive transmission body to which a drive force is applied from a driving source, and a rotary shaft having a press-in portion mounted on one end thereof in the axial direction. The press-in portion has multiple planes disposed parallel to an axial direction and configured to receive the drive transmission body. The multiple planes include upstream and downstream side planes disposed downstream from the upstream side plane in a press-in direction of the drive transmission body. The upstream and downstream side planes are aligned along the press-in direction of the drive transmission body and have respective distances different from each other from an axial center of the rotary shaft. A distance from the downstream side plane to the axial center is greater than a distance from the upstream side plane to the axial center.

Drive transmission device and image forming apparatus incorporating the drive transmission device

A sheet feeder, which is included in an image forming apparatus, includes a sheet loader on which a sheet is loaded, a sheet feeding body to feed the sheet from the sheet loader, and a sheet separator disposed to contact the sheet feeding body. The sheet is fed at a first average sheet feeding speed at which the sheet feeding body is in contact with the sheet separator without holding the sheet with the sheet separator. The sheet is fed at a second average sheet feeding speed at which the sheet feeding body is holding the sheet with the sheet separator. The first average sheet feeding speed is set smaller than the second average sheet feeding speed.

Sheet feeder and image forming apparatus incorporating the sheet feeder

A sheet feeder, which can be included in an image forming apparatus, includes a rotary body to contact and feed a recording medium to a downstream side along a sheet conveying path, a friction body disposed facing and contacting the rotary body with the sheet conveying path interposed therebetween, the friction body forming a separation nip region with the rotary body, a receiver to support the friction body at a position opposite to the separation nip region, and multiple projections to guide the recording medium toward the separation nip region. Each of the multiple projections extends toward the rotary body at respective axial ends of the rotary body and has a top face disposed upstream from the separation nip region in a sheet conveying direction between an outer circumferential surface of the rotary body and a surface of the friction body.

A paper output tray, which can be included in a paper output unit in an image forming apparatus, includes a tray body, a paper support extension slidably attached to the tray body and arranged switchable between a stored state in which the paper support extension is stored in the tray body and an extended state in which the paper support extension is pulled out to extend from the tray body, and a stopper rotatably attached to the paper support extension and arranged switchable between a folded state in which the stopper is folded to the paper support extension and a standing state in which the stopper is raised from the paper support extension. With the paper support extension in the stored state and the stopper in the folded state, the stopper overlaps an outer surface of the tray body.

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Osaka, Japan

Hirofumi Horita