Patent ID: 7748710

Claim:
A sheet-conveying device conveying a recording medium to a sheet support surface positioned downstream of the sheet-conveying device in a sheet-conveying direction when recording an image with an image-recording unit, the sheet-conveying device comprising: a sheet-conveying unit having a drive roller and a follower roller defining a nip line therebetween, the nip line being positioned above the sheet support surface; a first support member that rotatably supports the follower roller, and has an urging unit applying an urging force to the follower roller toward the drive roller to pinch the recording medium between the drive roller and the follower roller; and a second support member supporting the first support member and roller bearings, wherein the first support member is configured to move from a first position to a second position upstream of the first position in the paper-conveying direction immediately after a trailing edge of the recording medium leaves the sheet-conveying unit, wherein the first position is a position in which a rotational axis of the follower roller is disposed upstream in the paper-conveying direction of a first vertical plane orthogonal to the sheet support surface and including a rotational axis of the drive roller, the first position providing a first nip line between the drive roller and the follower roller; wherein the second position provides a second nip line between the drive roller and the follower roller, the second nip line being upstream of the first nip line in the sheet conveying direction; wherein the second position is a position in which the surface of the follower roller does not intersect a second vertical plane orthogonal to the sheet support surface and extending parallel to an axis of the follower roller and including the first nip line; and wherein the first support member is configured to move by the roller bearings and the roller bearings comprise a plurality of rotary bodies interposed in a freely rotating state between the supporting surface and the first support member.