Brother Kogyo Kabushiki-kaisha

Yuichiro Ichinose

Kenta Tosuji

Masafumi Inoue

Yusuke Ikegami

Kazuya Kamikawa

Shoichiro Nishimura

Hikaru Tamura

A sheet transport device includes a transport guide for guiding, along its transport surface, a sheet in a transport direction, a first transport roller pair, a second transport roller pair, a skew roller pair, a reference wall, and an actuator. The skew roller pair alone transports, in a skewed manner toward an end of the transport surface in a width direction orthogonal to the transport direction, the sheet spaced from the first transport roller and the second transport roller. The reference wall is positioned at the end of the transport surface in the width direction and extends along the transport direction. The actuator is disposed downstream of the skew roller pair and upstream of the second transport roller pair in the transport direction and between the end and a center of the transport surface in the width direction.

Sheet transport device and image forming apparatus

An image forming apparatus includes an image formation engine configured to form an image on a sheet, and a re-conveyer configured to convey the sheet having an image formed on one surface thereof by the image formation engine to the image formation engine again along a re-conveying path. The re-conveyer includes a conveying roller configured to convey the sheet in a re-conveying direction toward the image formation engine, a first guide member configured to be swingable between a first position at which the first guide member defines a portion of the re-conveying path upstream of the conveying roller in the re-conveying direction and guides the sheet to the conveying roller and a second position for exposing the potion of the re-conveying path, and a support member configured to swingably support the first guide member and rotatably support the conveying roller.

Image forming apparatus

A branch frame has a first guide surface and a second guide surface. In a state where a first cover is located at an open position, at least part of the first cover is located in a space through which a fixing device passes when the fixing device is detached from a mount portion, and the fixing device is unattachable to and undetachable from the mount portion through a first opening. In a state where the branch frame is attached to a main housing, at least part of the branch frame is located in the space, and the fixing device is unattachable to and undetachable from the mount portion through the first opening. In a state where the first cover and the branch frame are detached from the main housing, the fixing device is attachable to and detachable from the mount portion through the first opening.

Image forming apparatus having detachable fixing device

An image forming apparatus includes a main body, an image forming unit, a sheet tray disposed below the image forming unit, and a retransport assembly configured to transport a sheet along a retransport path including first, second, and third retransport path portions in a transport direction. The retransport assembly includes a portion of the sheet tray defining the first retransport path portion, a connecting unit and a retransport unit, which are disposed below the sheet tray. The connecting unit defines the second retransport path portion connected to an upstream end of the third retransport path portion in the transport direction. The retransport unit is movable between a stored position and a pulled-out position. The retransport unit at the stored position defines the first retransport path portion connected to an upstream end of the second retransport path portion in the transport direction.

An image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit, a retransport assembly, and a controller. The retransport assembly includes a first transport roller pair, a second transport roller pair, and a skew roller pair configured to alone transport, in a skewed manner, a sheet spaced from the first transport roller pair and the second transport roller pair, and a reference wall. The controller controls the retransport assembly and executes a waiting operation to cause the sheet to wait at the retransport assembly. The controller is configured to execute the waiting operation by stopping the skew roller pair and one of the first transport roller pair and the second transport roller pair in a state in which the sheet is nipped by the skew roller pair and the one of the first transport roller pair and the second transport roller pair.

A sheet conveyer, including a first guide with a guide surface, a second guide arranged on a side of the guide surface toward one end in a widthwise direction, a first roller arranged upstream in a conveying direction from the second guide to rotate about a first axis extending in parallel with the widthwise direction, a second roller arranged downstream in the conveying direction from the first roller to rotate about a second axis inclined with respect to the widthwise direction, and a third roller arranged downstream in the conveying direction from the second roller at a position on a side of the guide surface toward the other end in the widthwise direction outside a widthwise length of the sheet, is provided. The third roller is configured to rotate about a third axis inclined with respect to the widthwise direction.

Growing community of inventors

Nagoya, Japan

Yuichiro Ichinose