JPS6058473B2 - Cut sheet conveyance mechanism of image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a cut sheet transport mechanism of an image forming apparatus, and more specifically, the present invention relates to a cut sheet conveyance mechanism of an image forming apparatus, and more specifically, a function for easily removing a jammed cut sheet from an image forming apparatus such as an electrophotographic copying machine or a recording apparatus. The present invention relates to a conveyance mechanism that has the following features.

In the following description of the present invention, an electrophotographic copying machine will be taken as an example, and the cut sheet will be referred to as copy paper or simply paper.
Currently, as a mechanism for removing paper that has become stuck in the conveyance path due to a jam, the paper conveyance path is generally configured with a device that restricts both sides of the paper, such as a guide plate or roller, and one side is set perpendicular to the conveyance direction. The paper is rotated in the direction to open it so that a hand can be inserted to take out the paper.

However, the disadvantage is that in order to open sufficiently to allow access within the machine, normally unused wasted space is required for the opened member, resulting in a large volume of the machine. Furthermore, it is often difficult to open the guide plate due to the configuration around the guide plate, or even if the guide plate is opened, it cannot be opened sufficiently. Furthermore, in order to access the inner parts of the machine, the space around the entrance must be large, and it is difficult to obtain sufficient space because the strength and configuration of the machine are limited. Also, if the inside is not fully visible from the outside,
You may have to grope to remove jammed paper. In this way, according to the conventional method, the size and strength of the machine
There are significant limitations in construction and there are also problems with the difficulty of removing jammed paper. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a copy paper conveyance mechanism that solves the problems of the conventional apparatus described above.

That is, the object of the present invention is to provide a conveying mechanism that can take out jammed paper without requiring wasted space. The present invention that achieves the above object has a conveyance path formed by a pair of guide members facing each other with a gap for conveying the cut sheet, and is substantially perpendicular to the traveling direction of the cut sheet. a unitized conveyance path means that can be pulled out from the main body of the image forming apparatus in a direction; a cut sheet guide member that can rotate around one end in a direction to open the conveyance path;
There are some features characterized by having the following.

In devices that transport cut paper, such as copying machines,
If the direction in which paper is pulled out is the direction in which the paper travels, that direction is usually the width of the machine, so a space is required in the area to actually pull out the paper, and in reality it takes up less space inside the machine. The space becomes larger.

On the other hand, as in the present invention, there is a space around the conveying means in the pulled out state if the direction is perpendicular to the direction in which the paper travels, so the surrounding space can be fully utilized.
Furthermore, after the drawer has been drawn out, the degree of freedom in the direction of opening the guide plate increases, and by rotating the guide plate for removing jammed paper in a direction approximately perpendicular to the above-mentioned direction of the drawer, the guide plate can be opened more easily. As a result, it becomes easier to remove jammed paper. Furthermore, by setting the above-mentioned center of rotation to the back side of the pulled-out conveyance means,
When pushing in the pulled out unit after removing the jammed paper,
The guide plate fits smoothly into the unit. However, if the center of rotation of the guide plate is on the drawer side, depending on how the guide plate is opened, the end of the guide plate may hit the surrounding wall when stored, causing damage. I'm worried.
As electrophotographic copying machines have become more sophisticated in recent years, the number of machines that have multiple paper feed units, such as multi-stage cassettes or combinations of roll paper and cassettes, has increased.

The paper sent out from such multiple paper feed units has a large impact. It is necessary to unify the conveyance path to the same path before bringing it into contact with an image carrier such as a light body. Since the guide plate for this purpose is limited in its structure and arrangement, it is very difficult to remove jammed paper using the conventional method of opening it inside the machine, and for example, it is only necessary to pull it out again. Furthermore, if the center of rotation of the guide plate is parallel to the direction in which the guide plate is pulled out after being pulled out, it is difficult to fully open the unified path portion. Therefore, it is not easy to remove jammed paper with these methods, and the present invention is particularly useful in such unified path sections. Note that copy paper used for convenience in explaining the present invention means plain paper, insulating paper, etc.
Furthermore, it is not limited to "paper" as long as it is in the form of a cut sheet.

Furthermore, it is called a small sheet during transportation, and it is possible that it is a roll paper in the paper feed section. Furthermore, in the embodiment described below, a drum-shaped photoreceptor is provided in the transfer section.
It only needs to have the function of carrying a latent image, and for example, a photoreceptor web, an insulating drum web, etc. can be used. Hereinafter, the present invention will be explained in more detail according to examples. FIG. 1 is a partial cross-sectional view of a copying machine having unitized copy paper conveyance path means (hereinafter referred to as path means) according to the present invention.

The drum-shaped photoreceptor 2 of the copying machine 1 forms a latent image in an area A, forms a toner image by a developing means in an area B, transfers the toner image onto copy paper in an area C, and transfers the toner image to the copy paper in an area D. Residual toner and charges are removed, and copies are made repeatedly by rotating in the direction indicated by the arrow. The copy paper is sent out sequentially from the storage means 3, passes through the path means which has the functions of conveying, transferring, and separating from the photoreceptor into one unit, and then through the fixing means 5, thereby completing the copying and final copying. is stored in tray 6. below,
Before explaining the conveyance path means of the present invention, the storage means 3, which are copy paper supply sections before and after the means, and the fixing means 5 will be briefly explained.

As shown in Figure 2, the storage means 3 includes a main paper feed tray 7 that can hold a large number of sheets of paper with a size of 1000 to 300, and an auxiliary paper tray placed above it that can hold a small number of sheets of paper with a size of 200 to 100. It consists of two paper feed trays 8.

As for how to use each of the two paper feed trays, you can load paper of different sizes and select the paper you want to use, or you can load paper of the same size and usually feed the paper from the main paper feed tray. However, it is also possible to automatically switch to the auxiliary paper feed tray when the paper runs out, and to replenish the main paper feed tray 7 with paper during that time. By the way, each paper feed tray 7, 8 is provided with a corresponding paper feed roller 9, 10, which selectively rotates in the direction of the arrow when necessary to separate the uppermost sheet of paper. , to the route means 4. Since the main paper feed tray 7 has a large number of sheets of paper loaded, it has a lifting mechanism 11 that keeps the topmost position of the paper almost constant, while the auxiliary paper feed tray 8 has a spring 12 that keeps the topmost position almost constant. In addition to stabilizing paper feeding, the inclination of the paper feeding tray 8 reduces the size of the entrance portion of the path means 4. The paper transport path means 4 receives the paper fed from the storage means 3, brings it into contact with the photoreceptor 2 in synchronization with the toner image on the photoreceptor 2, and applies corona discharge for transfer from the back side of the paper. This is a section where a toner image is transferred, and further the paper is separated from the photoreceptor 2 and sent to a fixing means 5, which will be described later, and since it is related to the present invention, it will be described in detail later.

Next, the fixing means 5 has the structure shown in FIG. 3, and fixes the toner image on the paper by the cooperation of pressure and heat using two rollers 13 and 14 whose surfaces are made of a releasing material.

In addition, in the figure, the paper is transferred from the path means 4 to the fixing device by a guide plate 15 to the rollers 13 and 14, claws 16 and 17 that separate the paper from the rollers 13 and 14, and belts 18 and 19 that provide a conveyance force to the tray 6. It is sent to tray 6 through means 5. A brush 20 is provided at the outlet of the fixing means to remove residual charges from the paper. Further, the tray 6 is arranged at the top of the machine so that when loaded with paper that has been copied, the user can easily check the completed image and easily take out the paper. Details of the route means 4 of the present invention are shown in FIG. 4 and subsequent figures.

FIG. 4 shows a cross section of the unit of the path means 4,
Four guide plates 21, 22, 23, and 24 are arranged as shown in the figure to guide the paper sent out from the two paper feed trays 7 and 8, and a pair of register rollers 25
, 26. The register rollers 25 and 26 are well known and have the function of aligning the paper with the toner image on the photoreceptor 2 by controlling their rotation timing. The paper sent out from the register rollers 25 and 26 is guided by the two upper and lower guide plates 27 and 28 and comes into contact with the photoreceptor 2, and is charged by the corona discharger 29 from the back side and placed on the photoreceptor 2. The toner image is transferred. Further, the paper with the toner image is separated from the end of the paper after the transfer by a thin belt-like peeling guide member 30 whose longitudinal end is stretched and in contact with the photoreceptor 2. is applied, and is further suctioned by the changing roller 31, the two presser rollers 32, 33, and the suction box 34, so that the separation of the end portion is gradually expanded and is finally completely separated from the photoreceptor 2. Further, the image is conveyed to the fixing means 5 by the conveyor belt 35. The structure of the suction box 34 will be discussed later, and the mechanism for extracting the path means unit will be described next. 5 and 6, a method of connecting the path means 4 to the copying machine main body 1 side is shown.

As described above, the path means 4 of the present invention has a structure that can be pulled out toward the front side of the drawing in FIGS. There are members such as 30 that are in contact with each other, and other members that are also close to the photoreceptor 2 such as rollers 31 and 32. For this reason, if the path means 4 is pulled out as it is, there is a risk that these members that come close to and come into contact with the photoreceptor 2 will rub and scratch the surface of the photoreceptor 2. Conversely, even when the path means 4 is fixed and the photoreceptor 2 is pulled out,
Similar problems may occur. Therefore, the distance between the path means 4 and the photoreceptor 2 needs to be variable. Fifth
Figure A shows this mechanism in side view. Route means 4
is divided into two structures 36 and 37, and each part consists of side plates on both sides constituting it and a part that connects them and performs various functions. That is, the first structure 36 serves as a stand for the second structure 37, which is configured to be pulled out from the copying machine main body 1 by the two guide rails 38 and 39.
Hereinafter, the first structure 36 will be referred to as a platform). Second structure 3
Reference numeral 7 designates the paper conveyance path portion described in FIG. 4 (hereinafter, the second structure 37 is referred to as a conveyance section). These two parts are connected by a central rotation shaft 40, and the conveyance part 37 is configured to be rotatable about the shaft 40 with respect to the platform part 36, and is constantly pulled in the direction of the arrow by a spring 41. . Further, the conveyance section 37 is pushed to a predetermined position by a lever 42 attached to the main body 1 at the upper part, which overcomes the force of the spring 41 and acts in the opposite direction of the arrow. Here, the predetermined position is adjusted and kept constant by a pin 43 that is a component of the table section 36 and a screw 45 attached to an arm section 44 that is a component of the conveyance section 37. On the other hand, the lever 42 that pushes the conveyance section 37 from the main body includes a shaft 46 rotatably attached between both side plates of the main body, a lever 47 fixed to the shaft 46, and a lever 47 attached to the end of the lever 47. It consists of a roller 48, a pin rod 49 fixed to the shaft 46, and a spring 50 stretched between the lever 47 and the pin rod 49, and uses the rotation of the shaft 46 in the direction of the arrow to elastically press the conveying section 37. . Then, due to this elastic force, the lever 4
In addition to increasing the accuracy of 2, it also simplifies the meshing of the drive gears, which will be described later. FIG. 5B is a front view of the copying machine main body 1, in which an opening is provided in the side plate 51 of the main body so that the path means 4 can be pulled out. Further, the shaft 46 protrudes forward from the side plate 51, a knob lever 52 is fixed to the shaft 46, and a handle 53 is attached to the end of the lever 52. When the conveying section 37 is put into use, the handle 53 is configured to be fixed on a plate 54 that determines the rotational center position of the photoreceptor 2. In the state shown in the figure, the path means 4 is also Since the photoreceptor 2 cannot be pulled out by the lever 52, there is no risk of damaging the photoreceptor 2. When pulling out the photoreceptor 2 or the path means 4, by rotating the lever 52 to the position shown by the two-dot chain line, the structure of the spring 41, lever 42, and shaft 40 allows
Since the conveyance section 37 is separated from the photoreceptor 2, it can be easily pulled out. Here, if the lever 52 is configured to be pulled in the opening direction by a spring or the like and locked to the positioning plate 54,
It is also possible to remove the hand from the knob 53 when inserting and removing the photoreceptor, etc. Also, by providing a detection element that controls the electrical relationship of the main body in conjunction with this lever 52,
If the transport section 37 is not in a normal state, the operation of the machine can be stopped by the detection element. FIG. 6 schematically shows a cross-sectional structure of the path means 4 in the transport width direction (X direction in FIG. 5).

Since the path means 4 constitutes a paper conveyance path such as register rollers, it is necessary to have positional accuracy with respect to the photoreceptor 2, especially parallelism. However, since this part is configured to be pulled out from the main body of the copying machine, precision in the guide rail is required to ensure accurate installation. Therefore, there are drawbacks such as high manufacturing costs and the drawer not being able to move smoothly due to the elimination of looseness during installation. In this embodiment, as a method to eliminate these drawbacks, the base portion 36 is replaced with the front and rear side plates 51, 55 of the main body.
By connecting the guide rails with the pins 56 and 57, positional accuracy can be easily achieved even if an inexpensive guide rail is used. Further, the path means 4 includes a register roller 25,
26 drive transmission is required, and for this purpose, a rotatable coupling 58 is provided at the end of the rotation center shaft 40, and is coupled to a coupling 60 at the end of the rotation shaft 59 from the main body. In the state in which the conveyance section 37 is pushed in, even if the rotation axis 59 is not parallel to the rotation axis of the photoreceptor, the drive can be transmitted.

A drive transmission means 61 such as a gear or sprocket is fixed to the coupling 58, and the register rollers 25, 26 are connected to the coupling 58.
The rotational driving force can be transmitted to the engine via a control means such as a clutch. Of course, the control means such as a clutch may be performed at the stage of the shaft 59 on the main body side, but if there is an accumulation of meshing errors in the transmission means such as couplings or gears, or if there are multiple drive transmission parts, the control may be performed at the stage of the shaft 59 on the main body side. It is preferable to perform this at the final stage in order to improve accuracy. In addition, in this embodiment, regarding the drive transmission of the rotation of the path means 4, the register rollers 25 and 26 are transmitted by the above-mentioned coupling means, but the rotation of the separation change roller 31 is transmitted by a gear mounted coaxially with the register rollers 25 and 26. This is done by meshing with gears that rotate together with the photoreceptor. Here, the meshing of the gears is performed by an adjustment screw, and if the tips of the teeth touch each other during meshing, this is absorbed by the spring in the lever section and the gears mesh when they start rotating. Next, a method of electrically coupling the path means 4 and the copying machine main body 1 will be explained.

The path means 4 includes register rollers 25 and 26 as described above.
An electrical connection with the main body is necessary for controlling the rotation of the paper and for outputting a paper passage detection signal, and a connector is usually used as an electric wire for power supply or a signal. However, connectors have a drawback in that they are prone to poor contact when repeatedly attached and detached. As a solution to the above problem, it is sufficient that the path means 4 and the main body of the copying machine are always electrically connected, so that even when the path means 4 is pulled out, a signal indicating the presence of jammed paper can be sent to the display section. Therefore, it becomes easy to confirm that the jammed paper has been removed, and accidents caused by forgetting to remove the jammed paper can be prevented. Furthermore, a switch is provided between the register rollers to facilitate the removal of stuck paper, and the switch allows the rollers to rotate in the opposite direction, thereby making it possible to remove jammed paper. In the embodiment of the present invention, by using a flexible printed board as shown in FIG. 7, an electrical connection can always be obtained between the path means 4 and the main body.

7A shows a state in which the path means 4 is inside the copying machine main body 1, and FIG. 7B shows a state in which the path means 4 is pulled out. In this way, if the path means 4 and the copying machine main body 1 are electrically coupled by the flexible printed board 62, the bending radius can be made smaller compared to the conventionally known coupling method using a cord, which takes up less space. The advantage is that it can be done with a cord, and accidents such as cords being pinched are less likely to occur. In addition,
Here, the length L of the flexible printed board is the path means 4
11If the distance between the printed boards is h, then L
>Ml+h is required for reasonable operation. Furthermore, since it is difficult to electrically connect the path means 4 to the main body using the above-mentioned flexible printed board in the case of a high voltage source, it is preferable to use a conventionally known connector. . In the case of a high-voltage power supply, when it is pulled out, it does not need to be connected to the main body, and it is dangerous if high voltage continues to be generated due to an electrical failure, so a connector may be safer. Note that the above-mentioned flexible pooled board is one in which band or linear conductive wires are arranged side by side on a film-like insulating resin base. As mentioned above, by using a band-shaped flexible electric wire as shown in Figure 7, it is possible to constantly receive electric currents such as signals from the main body side and send them in the opposite direction. Even when the drawer is pulled out repeatedly, it does not shift or twist, so it can be used in a stable state at all times. Next, according to FIG. 8, the guide plate 22 of the present invention
, 23 will be explained.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a state in which the path means 4 is pulled out and the guide plates 22, 23 are opened. The path means 4 is guided by the guide rails 38 and 39 and comes out of the apparatus main body 1 by pulling the handle 63 attached to the wall of the platform 36 toward you. In the state shown in FIG.
Since it is attached to the holder, it can be opened wide in the direction of the arrow as shown in the figure. That is, when the path means 4 is pulled out, there are no other mechanisms in the upper, lower, left, and right spaces of the means, so that the guide plate can be freely opened and closed using the surrounding space. After opening the guide plates 22 and 23 and removing the jammed paper, it is sufficient to close the guide plates and push the path means toward the main body. As mentioned above, the opening/closing centers of the guide plates 22 and 23 are located at the back of the path means 4, so even if the path means 4 is pushed in with the guide plates in the middle-open state, the guide plates will There is no risk of damage due to contact with the means.
Furthermore, if the guide plates are opened at the top and bottom, a space is required within the path means, but in the case of the present invention, it is possible to arrange other components above and below the guide plates, so that It becomes possible to use the space effectively. Next, other mechanisms of the route means 4 will be explained.

A part of the safety mechanism when the route means 4 is pulled out has been described above, but there is also a mechanism to prevent the guide plate from opening.
It is provided on the guide plate 28 on the photoreceptor 1 side.

If the copy paper passes through the register rollers 25, 26 and jams within the guide plates 27, 28, the guide plates must be opened. As an opening/closing mechanism for the guide plates 27, 28, a locking member comes off when a certain force is applied, and the guide plates 27, 28 open. However, in the above configuration, the open end of the guide plate hits the surface of the photoreceptor 2 and damages the surface. The solution to this problem is the safety mechanism for opening and closing the guide plate described below. In FIG. 4, the guide plate 27 has both ends fixed to the side plates on the side of the conveyance section 37, but one guide plate 28 is rotatable on a rotating shaft 65 provided between the side plates of the conveyance section 37. possible to be pivoted.

That is, the guide plate 28 is always given a clockwise rotational force by the spring 67 attached to the shaft 65. It also has a locking portion 66 formed by bending the end of the guide plate 28 at right angles, and the locking portion 66 and the L-shaped guide portion 68 abut on the main body 1 side. This L-shaped guide portion 68 extends in the direction of the rotation axis of the photoreceptor 1, and when the guide portion 68 and the locking portion 66 are released from contact, the guide plate 28 is moved against the force of the spring 67. It becomes possible to push the trowel open.
In the device of this embodiment, the L-shaped guide portion 68 exists up to the position where the path means 4 is fully pulled out. Therefore, in a position where the locking part 66 is released from the guide part 68, the guide plate 28 can be opened, but conversely, in a position where the photoreceptor 2 is damaged by opening the guide plate 28, The guide plate 28 is configured so that it cannot be opened. Of course, even if the conveyance section 37 is rotated to pull out the path means 4, it will not open beyond the state where it is attached to the guide plate 28, so safety for the photoreceptor 2 is ensured. Here, other parts of the path means 4 related to paper conveyance will be explained.

First, the jam position detection mechanism will be explained. In FIG. 4 showing the internal side surface of the path means, L1, L2, and L3 are lamps provided along the path, and light receiving elements S1, S2, and S3 are arranged to face the lamps.

Further, on the base portion 36 of the path means 4 corresponding to each of the lamps Ll, L2, L3, a light emitting element Dl such as a light emitting diode is mounted.
, D2, and D3 are arranged (see FIG. 8). With the above configuration, if a jam occurs at the position of the lamp L2, for example, the light emitting element D2 lights up or blinks to display the position of the jammed paper. Therefore, the operator can remove the jammed paper by pulling out the path means 4 in accordance with the lighting of the light emitting element. Further, if the light emitting element is also provided in the fixing means 5, the fixing means 5
It is possible to understand at a glance whether it is better to pull out the route means 4 or to pull out the route means 4. Furthermore, like the route means 4 of this embodiment, a printed board 6 whose main body and means side are flexible
2, the light emitting means will continue to light up even when the path means 4 is pulled out to remove jammed paper, making confirmation easy. Further, for example, when jammed paper exists in two different locations, when the path means 4 is returned to the main body after only one jammed paper is removed, the light emitting element that continues to light up will cause the other jammed paper to be removed. You can learn about the existence of jam paper. The above effect is due to the constant electrical continuity between the main body side and the drawer side, and can be easily achieved by providing the above band-shaped flexible conductive wire as shown in FIG. FIG. 7 is a side view showing the route means 4 in the pulled out state as described above, and the strip-shaped printed board 62 is arranged so that the strip surface is parallel to the bottom surface of the route means 4. Also,
Both ends of the printed board 62 are connected to connectors on the main body side and on the route means side, but the connectors are not removed by pulling out the route means or the like. Next, lamp L
The three-position suction box 34 will be explained.

The separation means using the rotating belt 35 of the suction box as described above is a well-known technique. However, in the conventional suction box mechanism, the suction opening is provided parallel to the surface of the photoreceptor. However, with such a configuration, the suction air from the opening is not used effectively, and furthermore, it has been a cause of jams. Suction box 34 used in this example
The openings 69, 70, and 71 on which the suction force mainly acts are arranged with their positions shifted as shown in FIG.

The openings 69, 70, and 71 are arranged so as to suck the copy paper gradually from the side where the separating means is present (right side). With the above configuration, the copy paper changes its direction from the separating means side to the conveyor belt 35 side and is separated from the photoreceptor.
This is because the way the copy paper bends is due to the stiffness of the paper itself, and by arranging the openings 69, 70, and 71 so that they are sucked away from the separation means, the copy paper can be conveyed well. It becomes possible to guide it onto the belt 35. In addition, with the above configuration, the copy paper is smoothly bent from the edges and placed on the belt 35, so that the center part does not bulge or flop, making it possible to suppress the occurrence of jams as much as possible. In the figure, 72 and 73 are rollers that suspend the belt 35, 74 is a drive gear for the roller 72, and 75 is a drive gear for the photoreceptor.The rotation of the gear 75 drives the roller 72, and the belt 35 rotates. do. As described above, according to the conveyance path means 4 of the present invention, it is possible to easily take out jammed paper, and furthermore, by rotating the opening direction of the guide plate around one end of the paper conveyance width, the space inside the apparatus can be saved. It has now become possible to use effectively.

That is, the present invention makes it possible to improve the above-mentioned conventional conveyance means, particularly the jammed paper removal mechanism, and is effective in image forming apparatuses.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of the apparatus schematically depicting the configuration of the apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the storage means of the apparatus shown in FIG.
3 is a sectional view of the fixing means of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the conveyance path means, FIG. 5A is an explanatory diagram of the safety mechanism of the conveyance path means, and FIG. A side view of the outside of the safety mechanism, FIG. 6 is a sectional view of the conveyance path means section, and FIGS.
FIG. B is an explanatory diagram showing the state in which the conveyance path means section is pulled out from the main body, FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the conveyance path means section, and FIG. 9 is a top view of the suction box. In the figure, 1... copying machine, 2... photoreceptor, 3... storage means, 4... path means,
5... Fixing means, 21, 22, 23, 24...
...Guide plate, 25, 26... Register roller, 27, 28... Guide plate, 29...
Corona discharger, 34...Suction box, 36.
...First structure (base part), 37... Second structure (transport part), 38, 39... Guide rail, 4
0...Rotation center axis, 41...Spring, 42...
...Lever, 43...Pin, 45...
Screw, 47●◆・Luv, 48...◆Roller, 49
*゜◆・Zen stick, 50・・・Spring, 51,55・
...Side plate, 52...Luv, 53...
... Handle, 54 ... Positioning plate, 56, 57
...Pin, 58...Coupling, 5
9...Rotating shaft, 60...Coupling,
62. Flexible printed board, 65. Rotating shaft,
66...Locking part, 67...Spring, 68...
・Guide plate, 69, 70, 71...opening.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1 It has a conveyance path formed by a pair of guide members facing each other with a gap for conveying the cut sheet, and is pulled from the main body of the image forming apparatus in a direction substantially perpendicular to the traveling direction of the cut sheet. A unitized conveyance path means that can be pulled out forms one side of the pair of guide members, and when the conveyance path means is pulled out, the conveyance path is centered on one end on the back side in the conveyance width direction of the cut sheet. A cut sheet conveyance mechanism for an image forming apparatus, including a cut sheet guide member that can rotate in an opening direction.