Patent ID: 8256757

Claim:
A sheet folding apparatus for performing folding processing on a sheet from a carry-in entrance to carry out to a carrying-out exit, comprising: a sheet feeding apparatus for aligning a front end of the sheet fed from the carry-in entrance to feed to a predetermined processing position, including: a transport roller pair in press-contact with each other; gate stopper means disposed on an upstream side of a press-contact portion of the transport roller pair to strike and regulate the front end of the sheet; a register area disposed on an upstream side of the gate stopper means to curve and deform the sheet with the front end regulated; and stopper driving means for shifting the gate stopper means to position between an operating position of a sheet transport path and a retracted position outside the transport path, a first transport path for guiding the sheet fed from the carry-in entrance to the carrying-out exit without performing folding processing; a second transport path for performing the folding processing on the sheet from the carry-in entrance to guide to the carrying-out exit; and folding processing means disposed in the second transport path to fold the sheet from the carry-in entrance, wherein the gate stopper means is comprised of a stopper member such that a regulation surface for striking and regulating the front end of the sheet is shifted to position between the operating position and the retracted position, the stopper member is formed so that a shift trajectory of the regulation surface shifting from the operating position for striking and regulating the front end of the sheet to the retracted position is to guide the front end of the sheet to the press-contact portion of the transport roller pair, and the first transport path is provided with the sheet feeding apparatus for aligning the front end of the sheet fed from the carry-in entrance to feed to the predetermined processing position.