Sheet conveying device

#1. Field of the Invention

#The present invention relates to a sheet conveying device that conveys various kinds of sheets, more specifically, relates to a sheet conveying device that conveys a manually fed sheet.

#2. Description of the Related Art

#Other and further objects, features, and advantages of the invention will be more explicit from the following detailed description taken with reference to the drawings wherein:

#FIG. 1 is a cross section view showing part of an image forming apparatus according to a first embodiment of the invention;

#FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the first guiding member;

#Now referring to the drawings, preferred embodiments of the invention are described below.

#FIG. 1 is a cross section view showing part of an image forming apparatus 30 according to a first embodiment of the invention. The image forming apparatus 30 of the present embodiment is capable of forming an image on a manually fed sheet 61, and has a manually fed sheet conveying device 60 that conveys the manually fed sheet 61 toward an image forming station 76. In other words, the manually fed sheet conveying device 60 forms part of the image forming apparatus 30.

#The image forming apparatus 30 is equipped with a manual-bypass tray 54 that stores the manually fed sheet 61 and is a manually fed sheet storing portion. The manual-bypass tray 54 projects into an outer space 63 of the image forming apparatus 30, and stores an arbitrary kind of sheet supplied by the operator in image formation. The manual-bypass tray 54 stores not only sheets of uniform quality and shape but also various kinds of sheets. For example, there is a case where the manual-bypass tray 54 stores reused paper on which a curl, a fold, the mark of a stapler or the like is formed, that is, backing paper, as well as nonstandard-size sheets, sheets of random paper qualities like thickness and strength, sheets whose cross section shapes in the sheet thickness direction are not uniform, and so on.