Patent ID: 7845634

Claim:
A paper delivery mechanism comprising: an offset delivery unit for delivering a sheet of paper along a delivery passage and offsetting the sheet perpendicularly to the passage while delivering the sheet; the offset delivery unit including a shifter, a rotating shaft, and a delivery roller, the shifter being shiftable perpendicularly to the delivery passage, the shifter having an opening forming a part of the delivery passage, the shifter further having a first hole formed through one end thereof perpendicularly to the delivery passage, the rotating shaft extending through the first hole, the delivery roller being fixed to the rotating shaft, the delivery roller and the part of the delivery passage formed by the opening forming a nip therebetween through which the sheet can pass; and a drive transmission unit for rotating the rotating shaft; wherein the drive transmission unit includes a cylindrical bearing extending movably through the first hole of the shifter, the rotating shaft being supported by the cylindrical bearing shiftably across the delivery passage, and the cylindrical bearing being configured to transmit torque to the rotating shaft while the rotating shaft is shifted in an axial direction.