Patent ID: 8317192

Claim:
A sheet conveyance unit comprising: a first conveyance roller and a second conveyance roller disposed facing each other via a sheet conveyance path along which a sheet of recording media is transported; a first stopper provided at an axial end portion of the first conveyance roller and projecting beyond a circumferential surface of the first conveyance roller in a radial direction of the first conveyance roller, to rotate to a contact position projecting into the sheet conveyance path to stop the sheet and to a non-contact position away from the sheet conveyance path in conjunction with rotation of the first conveyance roller; a pair of downstream rollers positioned downstream from the first and second conveyance rollers in a sheet conveyance direction in which the sheet is transported; an engaging and disengaging unit to engage and disengage the first and second conveyance rollers from each other; and a controller operatively connected to the first and second conveyance rollers as well as the engaging and disengaging unit, to move the first stopper to the non-contact position after the first stopper stops the sheet and to cause the engaging and disengaging unit to disengage the first and second conveyance rollers from each other after a leading-end portion of the sheet arrives at the pair of downstream rollers and before the first stopper is moved from the non-contact position to the contact position.