Electrophotography – Document handling – Copy
Reexamination Certificate
2001-08-13
2003-12-30
Grainger, Quana M. (Department: 2852)
Electrophotography
Document handling
Copy
Reexamination Certificate
active
06671492
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION AND RELATED ART STATEMENT
The present invention relates to an image forming device, such as a copier, a printer, a facsimile device, or the like, which is equipped with a sheet finisher which staples or punches holes in sheets. In particular, the present invention relates to an image forming device equipped with a sheet finisher which is extremely compact and which can be mounted to an image forming device which has a loading tray at a top surface of the device and has a sheet discharging portion projecting above the loading tray.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (KOKAI) No. 1-313261 illustrated in
FIG. 10
is known as a conventional image forming device. In this image forming device, a sheet finisher
100
is set at the outer side of an image forming device main body
101
, and a loading tray
102
is set at the outer side of the sheet finisher
100
.
In
FIG. 10
, a sheet S (not shown), which is copied at the image forming device main body
101
and is fed-out by sheet discharging rollers
105
, is conveyed to the sheet finisher
100
mounted to the outer side of the image forming device main body
101
. The sheets S, which have been conveyed to the sheet finisher
100
, are stapled by a staple unit
103
provided at the sheet finisher
100
.
The sheets S, for which stapling has been completed, are pushed by an abutting member
104
and are loaded onto the loading tray
102
. The abutting member
104
supports the conveying direction trailing ends of the sheets S, aligns these trailing ends, and, when stapling is completed, pushes the trailing ends of the sheets S out toward the loading tray
102
.
The sheet finisher
100
is mounted to the outer side of a side surface of the image forming device main body
101
shown in FIG.
10
. The loading tray
102
is mounted to the outer side of the sheet finisher
100
. Thus, when the sheet finisher
100
is set at the image forming device main body
101
, the area required for the placement of the image forming device main body
101
increases.
An image forming device
106
of Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-86076 which is shown in
FIG. 11
has one way of overcoming this drawback. A sheet finisher
107
is mounted between the image forming device
106
and an image reader
108
. The area required to place the image forming device
106
which is formed in this way can be reduced by an amount corresponding to the amount by which the sheet finisher
107
is mounted toward the inner side of the image forming device main body
106
.
However, loading trays
109
, on which the sheets S which have been subjected to finishing processing are loaded, still project outwardly from the side surface of the image forming device
106
. Usually, the loading trays
109
are extremely large compared to the sheet finisher
107
. Thus, if the loading trays
109
remain jutting out, the area for placing the image forming device
106
can hardly be reduced at all.
A structure, such as that disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 8-277059 and shown in
FIG. 12
, is known in which a sheet finisher
110
is mounted above a loading tray
111
. This sheet finisher
110
has an internal tray
112
. The internal tray
112
is formed from two trays which are a first tray
112
a
and a second tray
112
b.
The internal tray
112
opens like a door toward the loading tray
111
from the portion at which these two trays are connected.
The sheets S are stapled on the internal tray
112
, and when stapling is completed, the internal tray
112
is opened. When the internal tray
112
is opened, the stack of sheets S falls down of its own weight onto the loading tray
111
, so as to be set on the loading tray
111
.
Accordingly, the area for placement of the sheet finisher
110
can be reduced because the internal tray
112
, which supports the entire surfaces of the sheets being stapled, and the loading tray, onto which the stapled sheets are loaded, are disposed in parallel in the vertical direction.
However, because the internal tray
112
opens and closes in a door-like manner, a sufficient height is required at the sheet finisher
110
for the internal tray
112
to open, and mounting the sheet finisher
110
into the image forming device is extremely difficult. Even if the sheet finisher
110
is mounted in, when the sheet finisher
110
having a height for allowing the internal tray to open is mounted in the image forming device, the height of the image forming device increases.
If the height of the image forming device increases, when an original, whose image is to be formed, is set at the image forming device, the position at which the original is set is high. If the position at which the original is set is high, it is difficult to confirm the set position. Accordingly, there is the problem that this tall image forming device is difficult to use.
Further, in order to mount the sheet finisher
110
, which is tall, in the interior of the image forming device, a large space is required at the interior of the image forming device. However, because attempts are being made to make the existing image forming devices as compact as possible, usually, such a large space is not provided in the existing image forming device. Accordingly, there is the problem that the sheet finisher
110
can not be mounted into the existing image forming devices.
A first object of the present invention is to provide an image forming device with an easy-to-use sheet finisher, wherein the sheet finisher can be easily mounted into existing image forming devices and does not cause the area for placement of the image forming device to become large.
A second object of the present invention is to provide an image forming device which is equipped with the sheet finisher, wherein a loading tray at a top surface of the image forming device can be utilized as a loading portion of the sheet finisher and as a stacking portion for finished sheets, and when the sheet finisher is mounted, there is no need to provide another stacking tray for the finished sheets.
A third object of the present invention is to provide an image forming device with an easy-to-use sheet finisher, wherein even if the sheet finisher is mounted to the existing image forming device, sheets can be removed without greatly changing from the state before the sheet finisher was mounted.
Further objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description of the invention.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In order to achieve the above objects, an image forming device of the present invention includes a discharge portion having a discharge opening which discharges a sheet from one end side of a top surface of an image forming device main body, in a direction traversing the device main body, and a loading tray which is provided at the top surface of the device main body and lower than the discharge opening, and on which a sheet which is discharged from the discharge opening is loaded. A sheet finisher unit is disposed above the loading tray, and in the sheet finisher unit, supporting means for supporting a conveying direction downstream side of a sheet which is discharged; finishing processing means, disposed at one end side of the supporting means, for carrying out a finishing processing on the sheet which is supported on the supporting means; and a transfer means which transfers and discharges the sheet, which has been processed at the finishing processing means, to the loading tray which is located at a conveying direction downstream side, are formed as a unit.
Accordingly, the loading tray at the top surface of the image forming device can be used as the loading portion of the sheet finisher and as the stacking portion of the sheets which have been subjected to finishing processing. When the sheet finisher is mounted, there is no need to provide a new stacking tray for the sheets which have been subjected to finishing processing.
Further, an image forming device in accordance with the present invention includes a discharge portion having a discharge opening which discharges a
Mimura Hideki
Nagasawa Keiichi
Grainger Quana M.
Kanesaka & Takeuchi
Nisca Corporation
LandOfFree
Image forming device with sheet finisher does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Image forming device with sheet finisher, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Image forming device with sheet finisher will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-3137708