Sheet housing device with pivot rotation mechanism for user access

An image forming apparatus, comprising:

• an image forming device;
• and
• a sheet housing device configured to store a sheet to be conveyed to the image forming device for image forming, the sheet housing device comprising:
• a sheet cassette;
• a frame configured to support the sheet cassette such that the sheet cassette is movable relative to the frame between a closed position and a drawn-out position along a first direction different from a gravity direction;
• a support member configured to support the frame such that the frame is rotatable around a pivot axis extending in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction and the gravity direction;
• and
• a holding mechanism configured to guide the sheet cassette moving toward the closed position to the closed position and hold the sheet cassette at the closed position, the holding mechanism including a first tapered surface positioned to contact a first corner of the sheet cassette and a second tapered surface positioned to contact a second corner of the sheet cassette opposite to the first corner in the gravity direction, when the sheet cassette is at the closed position, wherein
• the pivot axis is disposed at a position between a gravity center of the sheet cassette at the closed position and a gravity center of the sheet cassette at the drawn-out position, and
• the sheet cassette rotates around the pivot axis, according to a weight of the sheet cassette, in a first rotational direction when the sheet cassette is moved towards the drawn-out position and in a second rotational direction opposite to the first rotational direction when the sheet cassette is moved towards the closed position.

An image decoloring apparatus, comprising:

• an image decoloring device;
• and
• a sheet housing device configured to receive a sheet from the image decoloring device after image decoloring processing, the sheet housing device comprising:
• a sheet cassette;
• a frame configured to support the sheet cassette such that the sheet cassette is movable relative to the frame between a closed position and a drawn-out position along a first direction different from a gravity direction;
• a support member configured to support the frame such that the frame is rotatable around a pivot axis extending in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction and the gravity direction;
• and
• a holding mechanism configured to guide the sheet cassette moving toward the closed position to the closed position and hold the sheet cassette at the closed position, the holding mechanism including a first tapered surface positioned to contact a first corner of the sheet cassette and a second tapered surface positioned to contact a second corner of the sheet cassette opposite to the first corner in the gravity direction, when the sheet cassette is at the closed position, wherein
• the pivot axis is disposed at a position between a gravity center of the sheet cassette at the closed position and a gravity center of the sheet cassette at the drawn-out position, and
• the sheet cassette rotates around the pivot axis, according to a weight of the sheet cassette, in a first rotational direction when the sheet cassette is moved towards the drawn-out position and in a second rotational direction opposite to the first rotational direction when the sheet cassette is moved towards the closed position.