Sheet conveying apparatus, automatic document feeding apparatus including same, image forming apparatus with first sheet conveyance guide having an opening

An automatic document feeding apparatus, comprising:

• a sheet conveying apparatus for transporting a document which is a sheet, the sheet conveying apparatus including
• (i) a curved conveyance path on which the sheet is transported along a curve of the curved conveyance path, and
• (ii) a first sheet conveyance guide, which has a curved guiding surface and constitutes the curved conveyance path, that part of the curved guiding surface of the first sheet conveyance guide, which receives a front end of the sheet fed to the curved conveyance path in a sheet feeding direction, having an opening, the opening having such a size in a guide width direction orthogonal to the sheet feeding direction that allows passage of a small size sheet not larger than a predetermined size and blocks passage of a large size sheet larger than the predetermined size, wherein:
• the opening is a rectangular opening, having a projection plane which is of a rectangular shape when viewed in the sheet feeding direction;
• and
• a wall section is provided at a downstream end of the rectangular opening, the downstream end of the rectangular opening provided downstream in a conveying direction of the large size sheet being conveyed on the curved conveyance path, the wall section (i) facing the curved conveyance path, (ii) extended outwardly from the curved conveyance path toward and disposed in another conveyance path other than the curved conveyance path on which the small size sheet is transported, and (iii) blocking a downstream side of the rectangular opening, the downstream side of the rectangular opening provided downstream in the conveying direction of the large size sheet being conveyed on the curved conveyance path.

An image forming apparatus, comprising:

• an image forming section for carrying out image printing onto a paper;
• and
• a sheet conveying apparatus for transporting, from the image forming section to a paper delivering section, the paper which is a sheet, the sheet conveying apparatus including
• (i) a curved conveyance path on which the sheet is transported along a curve of the curved conveyance path, and
• (ii) a first sheet conveyance guide having a curved guiding surface and constituting the curved conveyance path, that part of the curved guiding surface of the first sheet conveyance guide, which receives a front end of the sheet fed into the curved conveyance path in a sheet feeding direction, having an opening, the opening having such a size in a guide width direction orthogonal to the sheet feeding direction that allows passage of a small size sheet not larger than a predetermined size and blocks passage of a large size sheet larger than the predetermined size, wherein:
• the opening is a rectangular opening, having a projection plane which is of a rectangular shape when viewed in the sheet feeding direction;
• and
• a wall section is provided at a downstream end of the rectangular opening, the downstream end of the rectangular opening provided downstream in a conveying direction of the large size sheet being conveyed on the curved conveyance path, the wall section (i) facing the curved conveyance path, (ii) extended outwardly from the curved conveyance path toward and disposed in another conveyance path other than the curved conveyance path on which the small size sheet is transported, and (iii) blocking a downstream side of the rectangular opening, the downstream side of the rectangular opening provided downstream in the conveying direction of the large size sheet being conveyed on the curved conveyance path.