Kyocera Document Solutions Inc.

Kyocera Mita Corporation

Katsuhiko Hanamoto

Nobuhiro Nishioka

Takehiko Okada

Akira Horie

Hoang Danh Nguyen

Yohichiro Irie

A transfer unit includes first and second rollers, a roller switching mechanism, and upstream-side and downstream-side guides. The second roller is arranged downstream of the first roller in the conveyance direction of the recording medium. The roller switching mechanism selectively arranges the first or second roller at a reference position to form a transfer nip. The upstream-side and downstream-side guides are respectively arranged upstream and downstream of the transfer nip in the conveyance direction of the recording member. When the first roller moves to the reference position by the roller switching mechanism, the second roller moves to a first retracted position behind the downstream-side guide, and when the second roller moves to the reference position by the roller switching mechanism, the first roller moves to a second retracted position behind the upstream-side guide.

Transfer unit with a non-selected transfer roller retracted behind a guide and image forming apparatus therewith

A sheet discharge device includes: a sheet discharge portion; a sheet stacking portion having a sheet stacking surface for stacking a sheet discharged from the sheet discharge portion; and a stopper in the sheet stacking portion against which, for alignment, the leading end of the sheet discharged from the sheet discharge portion is thrust. The stopper has a support portion, a restricting portion, and an urging mechanism. The restricting portion is supported pivotally on a pivot shaft on the support portion, and is arranged either in a retracted position to lie flat substantially horizontally along the sheet stacking surface or in a restricting position to stand upright substantially vertically to the sheet stacking surface. The urging mechanism urges the restricting portion, when in retracted position, in a direction from restricting position to retracted position and, when in restricting position, in a direction from retracted position to restricting position.

Sheet discharge device, and document conveying device and image forming apparatus provided therewith

A paper sheet folding device (sheet folding device)includes a paper sheet folding unitand a tray unitthat is provided on one side surfaceof a device main bodyand includes a lower discharge trayon which a paper sheet S discharged through a lower discharge portis loaded. The tray unitis pivotable in an up-down direction about a pivotal shaft. A discharge drive mechanismis disposed at a center portion of the tray unitin a paper sheet width direction.

Pivotable tray for jam clearance in sheet folding device

A locking mechanism includes a hook, an engaged portion, and a biasing member, and locks a movable unit supported on a unit main body to the unit main body. The hook has a supporting portion pivotably supported on the unit main body and an engaging portion protruding from the supporting portion. The engaged portion is formed on the movable unit and is engageable with the engaging portion. A biasing member biases the hook in such a direction as to let the engaging and engaged portions engage. The hook has a first face facing the engaged portion at the tip end of the engaging portion and a second face extending from the first face toward the supporting portion and inclined relative to the first face in such a direction as to recede from the pivot. With the engaging and engaged portion in engagement, the engaged portion touches only the second face.

Locking mechanism for movable unit, and sheet feeding device and image forming apparatus provided therewith

A first opposing portion of the coupling includes first ratchet hook and a second opposing portion of the second rotary body includes a second ratchet hook. One of the third opposing portion of the coupling and the fourth opposing portion of the first rotary body has a cam on an end face thereof and the other one has a cam face on an end face thereof. When the first rotary body rotates in a forward direction, a camming action turns on the transmission of torque. When the first rotary body rotates in a backward direction, the transmission of torque is turned off. A protrusion provided on a portion other than the cam or the cam face of the end face of one of the third opposing portion of the coupling and the fourth opposing portion of the first rotary body comes into contact with a portion other than the cam or the cam face of the end face of the other one of the third opposing portion and the fourth opposing portion while the transmission of torque is turned off.

Drive unit

A document pressing unit is openable with respect to an apparatus body including a placement portion on which a document is placed, and is configured to press the document from above. The document pressing unit includes a body frame, a pair of hinge units, a pair of metal fixing members, and fastening screws. The body frame is able to press the document. The hinge units respectively include hinge legs mounted on the apparatus body, and are mounted with a certain distance in a left-right direction on a rear end of the body frame to openably support the body frame with respect to the apparatus body. The fixing members fix the hinge units to the body frame, respectively. The fastening screws fasten the fixing member and the hinge unit through the body frame so that the fixing member and the hinge unit sandwich the body frame in an up-down direction.

Document pressing unit, and automatic document conveying device and image forming apparatus provided with the same

A document sheet transportation device includes a feeding portion which feeds a document sheet from a document sheet placement portion toward a document sheet transportation path. The feeding portion includes a holder, a feeding member, a supporting body supported by the holder, a rotatable stopper member having a contact end portion allowed to contact a front end of a document sheet, and a biasing member which applies a biasing force to the stopper member. The stopper member is allowed to change a position among a first position in which the contact end portion contacts the front end of the document sheet, a second position which allows feeding of the document sheet by the feeding member, and a third position which is rotated in the first rotating direction from the second position. The biasing member applies the biasing force to the stopper member in a reverse second rotating direction.

Document sheet transportation device and image forming apparatus provided therewith

A sheet feeder includes a delivery roller, a supply roller, a separating member, a driving source, a first drive transmission mechanism, a second drive transmission mechanism, and a controller. The first drive transmission mechanism transmits the rotary drive power in the first direction to the delivery roller in a first drive transmission time from the start of driving of the driving source. The second drive transmission mechanism transmits the rotary drive power in the first direction to the supply roller in a second drive transmission time from the start of driving of the driving source. The second drive transmission period of the second drive transmission mechanism is longer than the first drive transmission period of the first drive transmission mechanism. When the control starts driving the driving source, the supply roller starts to rotate in the first direction after the delivery roller starts to rotate in the first direction.

Sheet feeder, reading apparatus and image forming apparatus that reduce vibration sound in association with idling of supply roller

A base portion includes a cam surface formed around a support pin. A turning portion includes: a slide member provided movably in directions toward and away from the support pin; and a coil spring urging the slide member. The slide member is designed to slide on the cam surface while turning, together with an openable body, about the support pin. The cam surface includes a first sliding surface, a second sliding surface, and a third sliding surface. The first sliding surface presses the slide member back in a direction of closing of the openable body. The second sliding surface presses the slide member back in a direction of opening of the openable body. The third sliding surface presses the slide member back in the direction of closing of the openable body.

Opening and closing device and image scanner unit

A sheet feeder includes a sheet platen, a pickup roller, a feeding roller, a regulating portion, a driving mechanism, a feeding control unit, a sheet sensor, and a determination processing unit. The feeding control unit executes a feeding operation by rotationally driving the pickup roller and the feeding roller in a state where the regulating portion is located at a retreating position. The sheet sensor is located at a downstream side in the feeding direction of the feeding roller. The determination processing unit determines whether the sheet feeding has succeeded or not based on a signal from the sheet sensor. After a start of the feeding operation, when the determination processing unit determines that the sheet feeding has failed, the feeding control unit once moves the regulating portion located at the retreating position to the abutting position and then executes the feeding operation again.

Sheet feeder that ensures execution of sheet feeding with more certainty by feeding retry process and image processing apparatus including the same

A document conveying device of the present disclosure includes a feeding unit, a stopper, and a restriction surface. The feeding unit is swingably supported on a first swinging fulcrum and is disposed selectively at a paper feeding position or at a retracted position. The stopper is swingably supported on a second swinging fulcrum, and has a document restriction portion and an engagement piece. The restriction surface is provided on the main body side of the document conveying device, and extends downward from a position coinciding with a first trajectory toward an inner side of the first trajectory, while extending downward from a position coinciding with a second trajectory toward an inner side of the second trajectory. When the feeding unit is at the retracted position, the engagement piece is engaged with the restriction surface, and when the feeding unit is at the paper feeding position, the engagement therebetween is released.

Document conveying device and image forming apparatus including the same

A sheet feeder includes a sheet placing portion, a feeding member, a supporting body, a driver, an electromagnetic clutch and a retraction controller. The supporting body is capable of changing a posture between a sheet feeding posture of the feeding member and a retracting posture for retracting the feeding member. The electromagnetic clutch is capable of changing a state between an engaged state in which a drive force is transmitted to the supporting body and a disengaged state in which the drive force is not transmitted to the supporting body. The retraction controller stops the output of a drive force after the electromagnetic clutch is set in the engaged state and the supporting body is set to the retracting posture by the drive force, and sets the electromagnetic clutch in the disengaged state when an engagement keeping time elapses after the output of the drive force is stopped.

Sheet feeder for feeding sheet and image processing apparatus with sheet feeder

Provided is an automatic document conveying device, including: a document feeding portion that feeds a document from a document stacking tray; a conveying portion that conveys the document which is fed, to a document reading portion; a discharge portion that discharges the document after being read to a discharge tray; a branching guide that switches a conveying path so that a second surface is read after a first surface of the document is read; and a switchback portion including a switchback roller pair for sending the document to the conveying portion again after the conveying path is switched by the branching guide, in which a switch of the conveying path by the branching guide and open/close of a nip of the switchback roller pair are performed in one drive portion.

Automatic document conveying device and image forming apparatus including the same

A position adjustment mechanism () includes a rack () fixed onto an upper surface of a second hinge member (), a worm gearthat meshes with the rack (), a handle () that rotates the worm gear (), and a lever () that presses the second hinge member () against the first hinge member () to fix the second hinge member () to the first hinge member (). The lever () is operated to release the pressure on the second hinge member () so that the handle () is operated, to thereby adjust a tilt of the document conveying device () with respect to the image reading portion () without using a tool and the like. After the adjustment, the lever () is operated to press the second hinge member (), to thereby position the document conveying device () precisely at a position after the adjustment.

Image reading device and image forming apparatus including the same

A sheet feeder includes a stopper located in a sheet feeding route and supported rotatably about a pivot point. The posture of the stopper is changed among a restricting posture in which a contact end contacts a leading end SU of a sheet S in a feeding direction to restrict the leading end SU before a feeding of the sheet S by a feeding mechanism, a feed allowing posture assumed during feeding and in which the contact end is separated from the leading end SU in a first direction F in which the sheet S is fed, and a rotational posture reached by rotating the stopper about the pivot point so that the contact end faces in a second direction opposite the first direction. The second direction is a direction in which the sheet S is pulled out from the feeding mechanism when a jam occurs.

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Osaka, Japan

Katsuhiko Hanamoto