Patent ID: 7044464

Claim:
An apparatus for reversing a sheet conveyed along conveyance paths, said apparatus comprising: a first conveyance path; a second conveyance path; a third conveyance path; a common path communicating at a first end with an exit of said first conveyance path, communicating at said first end with an entrance of said second conveyance path, and communicating at a second end with an entrance of said third conveyance path; a first reversing roller having a part positioned in said common path; a second reversing roller having a part positioned in said common path, said second reversing roller being opposed to said first reversing roller and pressed against said first reversing roller, thereby transferring a sheet in said common path between said first and second reversing rollers; first rotating means for rotating a first rotational shaft in a first direction, said first rotation shaft integrally extending from said first reversing roller; second rotating means for rotating a second rotational shaft in the first direction, said second rotational shaft integrally extending from the second reversing roller; a first electromagnetic clutch coupling said first rotational shaft to said first rotating means; a second electromagnetic clutch coupling said second rotational shaft to said second rotating means; and control means for effecting on-off control of said first and second electromagnetic clutches, so that, when a sheet not to be reversed is introduced into an entrance of said first conveyance path, said first electromagnetic clutch is on and said second electromagnetic clutch is off to feed the sheet from said first conveyance path, through said common path, and into said third conveyance path, and when a sheet to be reversed is introduced into the entrance of said first conveyance path, said first electromagnetic clutch is on and said second electromagnetic clutch is off to feed the sheet from said first conveyance path into said common path, and, thereafter, said first electromagnetic clutch is off and said second electromagnetic clutch is on to feed the sheet from said common path into said second conveyance path.