Sheet conveying device and image forming apparatus including the same
AssigneeKYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
InventorTerumitsu Noso
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A sheet conveying device is provided in a paper sheet discharge portion of an image forming apparatus. The sheet conveying device includes, inside thereof, a pair of conveyance guides forming a curved path. A stiffening member is attached to an upper conveyance guide. The stiffening member includes a first pressing portion on the downstream side in the conveyance direction, and a guide portion on the upstream side. The first pressing portion is positioned at a lower position than a nip portion of a pair of discharge rollers. The guide portion is positioned at an upper position than the nip portion. The guide portion is narrower in the width direction than the first pressing portion.
Claims9
A sheet conveying device comprising:
- a first conveyance guide member and a second conveyance guide member disposed to face each other and forming a discharge path extending to a sheet discharge outlet;
- a first discharge roller and a second discharge roller disposed to face each other across the discharge path and configured to nip a sheet member conveyed in the discharge path and discharge the sheet member from the sheet discharge outlet to outside, the first discharge roller being provided in the first conveyance guide member, the second discharge roller being provided in the second conveyance guide member;
- and
- at least one first stiffening member projecting toward the discharge path from one of the first conveyance guide member and the second conveyance guide member and extending from a nip portion to an upstream side in a sheet conveyance direction, and configured to stiffen the sheet member by contacting and pressing the sheet member conveyed in the discharge path, the nip portion being formed by the first discharge roller and the second discharge roller,
- each of the at least one first stiffening member including:
- a first pressing portion provided in a facing surface that faces the sheet member, and arranged at a position that corresponds to the nip portion when viewed from one side in width direction of the discharge path that is a direction perpendicular to the sheet conveyance direction, the first pressing portion projecting farther toward the other of the first conveyance guide member and the second conveyance guide member than the nip portion;
- and
- a guide portion provided in the facing surface, and arranged at a position more on the upstream side in the sheet conveyance direction than the first pressing portion, and configured to guide, toward the first pressing portion, a front end of the sheet member conveyed in the discharge path, wherein
- the guide portion is narrower in the width direction than the first pressing portion.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.