Patent ID: 9511966
Filing Date: 2016-12-06
CPC Classification: B65H

Claim Text:
1. A sheet conveying device comprising: a first conveyance path configured to guide a sheet member from a sheet storage portion to an image forming portion; a second conveyance path formed at a downstream side of the first conveyance path in a conveying direction of the sheet member and configured to guide the sheet member having an image formed thereon by the image forming portion, to a sheet discharge port; a third conveyance path, one end thereof being connected to the first conveyance path and the other end being connected to the second conveyance path, configured to reverse the sheet member guided to the sheet discharge port and guide the sheet member to the image forming portion; a merging portion at which the second conveyance path and the third conveyance path merge with each other; and a discharge roller pair provided near the sheet discharge port so as to be rotatable forward and reversely and configured to nip the sheet member and convey the sheet member from the sheet discharge port either in a discharge direction or in a reverse direction, wherein the second conveyance path includes a conveyance guide provided with a plurality of guide ribs that project upward from a guide surface thereof and extend toward a discharge port side along the conveying direction of the sheet member from a same position on a merging portion side, and the plurality of the guide ribs are provided at intervals in a width direction perpendicular to the conveying direction of the sheet member and include a plurality of outer guide ribs provided adjacent to each other outward of the discharge roller pair in the width direction and a plurality of inner guide ribs provided adjacent to each other inward in the width direction, and a height of the plurality of outer guide ribs is higher than a height of the plurality of inner guide ribs and is increased from the sheet discharge port side toward the merging portion side.