Sheet conveying apparatus and sheet conveying method

A sheet conveying apparatus having:

• piling means for piling sheets with a predetermined amount of deviation in the direction of conveyance therebetween;
• conveying means for nipping plural sheets including a lead-off sheet among the sheets piled with predetermined deviation and applying a conveying force to only that surface of the lead-off sheet which is not contacted with other sheets;
• movement restricting means disposed upstream of said conveying means for nipping the sheets and restricting the movement thereof;
• and
• control means for controlling said movement restricting means so as to carry out the movement restriction of the sheet nipped by said conveying means selectively, said control means carrying out control so that the movement restriction is not carried out while the lead-off sheet among sheets nipped by said conveying means is passing through said movement restricting means.

A sheet conveying apparatus having:

• piling means for piling sheets successively with a predetermined amount of deviation in the direction of conveyance provided therebetween;
• first conveying means for nipping the sheets piled with the predetermined amount of deviation provided therebetween and imparting a conveying force to the lead-off one of the sheets;
• second conveying means capable of nipping the sheets piled by said piling means between it and said first conveying means and conveying them in forward and reverse directions;
• and
• control means for controlling said second conveying means so as to feed the sheets to said first conveying means, and convey the other sheets than the lead-off sheet in the reverse direction after the lead-off sheet has been liberated from its nipped condition.

An image forming apparatus having:

• image forming means for forming an image on one surface of each of sheets;
• feeding means for feeding the sheets one by one to said image forming means;
• piling means for piling the sheets each having an image formed on one surface thereof by said image forming means with a predetermined amount of deviation in the direction of conveyance therebetween;
• first conveying means for nipping plural sheets including the lead-off sheet amoung sheets piled with the predetermined deviation and applying a conveying force to a surface of the lead-off sheet which is not contacted with other sheets;
• second conveying means for conveying the sheets from said piling means to said first conveying means;
• movement restricting means disposed upstream of said first conveying means by a distance shorter than the conveyed sheets for restricting movement of the sheets;
• control means for controlling said movement restricting means so as to carry out the movement restriction of the sheets nipped by said first conveying means selectively, said controlling means carrying out control so that the movement restriction is not carried out while the lead-off sheet is passing through said movement restricting means;
• a conveyance path for directing the sheet to which the conveying force is applied by said first conveying means to said image forming means.

An image forming apparatus having:

• image forming means for forming an image on one surface of each of sheets;
• feeding means for feeding the sheets one by one to said image forming means;
• piling means for piling the sheets each having an image formed on one surface thereof by said image forming means with a predetermined amount of deviation in the direction of conveyance therebetween;
• first conveying means for nipping the sheets piled with the predetermined amount of deviation therebetween and imparting a conveying force to the lead-off sheet;
• second conveying means for nipping the sheets piled by said piling means between it and said first conveying means and conveying them in forward and reverse directions;
• control means for controlling said second conveying means and conveying the sheets other than the lead-off sheet in the reverse direction after the lead-off sheet has been released from its nipped condition;
• and
• a conveyance path for directing the sheet to which the conveying force is applied by said first conveying means to said image forming means.