Sheet stopper and image forming apparatus

A sheet stopper that is disposed in a turnable manner and blocks and passes a sheet conveyed on a sheet guide, the sheet stopper comprising:

• a proximal portion disposed adjacent to a turning fulcrum;
• a distal portion connected to an end of the proximal portion;
• and
• a folding mechanism that connects the distal portion to the proximal portion in a foldable manner, wherein,
• the sheet stopper is capable of transitioning between a first position and a second position, the first position being a position in which the proximal portion and the distal portion integrally block the sheet, the second position being a position in which the proximal portion and the distal portion integrally turn to a downstream side in a sheet conveyance direction when the sheet is conveyed to allow the sheet to pass,
• the sheet stopper is capable of transitioning from the second position to a third position when the sheet is drawn out from an upstream side in the sheet conveyance direction, the third position being a position in which the distal portion folds toward the upstream side in the sheet conveyance direction relative to the proximal portion to allow the sheet to be drawn out,
• in a process of transitioning from the second position to the third position, a leading edge of the distal portion is located on or away from an outer surface of the sheet guide, and
• the sheet stopper is capable of transitioning from the second position or the third position to a fifth position when the sheet is drawn out obliquely upward from the upstream side in the sheet conveyance direction, the fifth position being a position in which the proximal portion further turns to the downstream side in the sheet conveyance direction at the turning fulcrum, and the distal portion folds toward the upstream side in the sheet conveyance direction relative to the proximal portion to allow the sheet to be drawn out.