Patent ID: 7887054

Claim:
A sheet transport direction switching device comprising: a rotary guide member including a single guide passage for passing a sheet to be transported, and a support shaft extending in a direction orthogonal to a transport direction of the sheet, the rotary guide member being operable to change a posture thereof by pivotal movement about an axis of the support shaft so that an exit of the guide passage faces one of at least two discharge destinations; and a posture changing mechanism for changing the posture of the rotary guide member, wherein the posture changing mechanism has a stepping motor for pivotally moving the rotary guide member about the axis of the support shaft; and at least one pair of guide pulleys operable to freely rotate about axes parallel to the axis of the support shaft, parts of the guide pulleys projecting in the guide passage in a state so that surfaces of the guide pulleys in the respective pair oppose each other, and the guide passage being narrowed between the surfaces of the guide pulleys in the respective pair of guide pulleys projecting in the guide passage.