Patent ID: 7364158

Claim:
A conveyor apparatus, comprising: upstream-side conveyance means for nipping a sheet between traveling upstream-side upper belts and upstream-side lower belts and conveying said sheet; downstream-side conveyance means for nipping said sheet between traveling downstream-side upper belts and downstream-side lower belts and conveying said sheet at a speed different from the conveyance speed of said upstream-side conveyance means; separation-start-position adjustment means for adjusting a position at which said upstream-side upper belts of said upstream-side conveyance means start to separate away from said sheet, said separation-start-position adjustment means including, adjustment rollers disposed between upstream-side upper rollers around which said upstream-side upper belts are wound and which are located furthest downstream with respect to a conveyance direction of said sheet and downstream-side upper rollers around which said downstream-side upper belts are wound and which are located furthest upstream with respect said conveyance direction of said sheet, and adapted to press said upstream-side upper belts downward, and adjustment roller moving means for moving said adjustment rollers along said conveyance direction of said sheet, with respect to said conveyance direction of said sheet, most upstream portions, of said downstream-side upper belts of said downstream-side conveyance means being located on the upstream side, of most downstream portions of said upstream-side lower belts of said upstream-side conveyance means, and forming a first clearance in the vertical direction between said most upstream portions and said upstream-side lower belts, with respect to said conveyance direction of said sheet, most downstream portions, of said upstream-side upper belts of said upstream-side conveyance means being located on the downstream side of most upstream portions of said downstream-side lower belts of said downstream-side conveyance means, and forming a second clearance in the vertical direction between said most downstream portions and said downstream-side lower belts, and said sheet having been nipped and conveyed between said upstream-side upper belts and said upstream-side lower belts of said upstream-side conveyance means being transferred to and conveyed between said downstream-side upper belts and said downstream-side lower belts of said downstream-side conveyance means, wherein said conveyor apparatus further comprises receiving clearance adjustment means for adjusting said first clearance in the vertical direction between the most upstream portions of said downstream-side upper belts of said downstream-side conveyance means and said upstream-side lower belts of said upstream-side conveyance means.