Patent ID: 8256766

Claim:
A sheet aligning mechanism that aligns sheets discharged from a sheet discharging unit into a tray, the sheet aligning mechanism comprising: a first width-direction aligning unit arranged near the sheet discharging unit, for aligning end faces of the sheets in a sheet width direction perpendicular to a sheet discharge direction; a second width-direction aligning unit arranged downstream of the first width-direction aligning unit in the sheet discharge direction, wherein each of the first width-direction aligning unit and the second width-direction aligning unit includes a pair of aligning members and each of the first width-direction aligning unit and the second width-direction aligning unit includes an upward receding mechanism that causes one of the aligning members to upwardly recede from a sheet-alignment operating position; and a drive unit that moves the aligning members of the first width-direction aligning unit and the second width-direction aligning unit in the sheet width direction and drives the upward receding mechanism to cause the aligning members of the second width-direction aligning unit to upwardly recede, wherein the upward receding mechanism of the second width-direction aligning unit includes a slider to which the aligning members are rotatably attached, the slider being driven by the drive unit, a projection arranged on one of the aligning members such that the projection extends parallel to a moving direction of the slider, and a sloped guide member arranged in an end portion of a moving range of the aligning member at a position where the sloped guide member opposes a distal end of the projection, and the projection is moved with the distal end in sliding contact with the sloped guide member, thereby rotating the aligning member to cause the aligning member to upwardly recede.