Sheet feeding or delivering – Delivering – To receiver for pack of sheets
Reexamination Certificate
1999-09-15
2002-02-26
Ellis, Christopher P. (Department: 3651)
Sheet feeding or delivering
Delivering
To receiver for pack of sheets
C271S214000, C270S058070
Reexamination Certificate
active
06349934
ABSTRACT:
The invention is based on patent application Nos. 10-263069 Pat., 10-263108 Pat., 10-263163 Pat. and 10-263171 Pat. filed in Japan, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a sheet accommodating device for accommodating sheets which are discharged from a sheet processing device such as an image forming apparatus (e.g., a copying machine, a printer, a facsimile or a composite device formed of two or more of them), and also relates to a sheet processing system formed of a combination of such a sheet accommodating device and an image forming apparatus.
2. Description of the Background Art
A sheet accommodating device for accommodating sheets discharged from a sheet processing device usually has a tray for successively carrying and accommodating the discharged sheets. The tray may be combined with a sheet aligning device, a binding device for binding a plurality of sheets and/or other post-processing device.
In many cases, however, the sheet discharged from the sheet processing device is partially or entirely curled due to an influence such as a heat and a pressure applied thereto from the sheet processing device.
The sheet laid on the tray or the sheet bundle, which is formed of several sheets laid on the tray, may be aligned with a predetermined aligning position together with the next sheet(s) which are discharged onto the sheet or sheet bundle. Further, the sheets thus aligned may be subjected to the post-processing. In these cases, the overlaid sheet(s) cannot be stable, and thus cannot be processed (e.g., aligned) in an intended manner if the underlying sheet or sheet bundle on the tray is curled. The aligning and other processing cannot be easily performed if the overlaid sheet to be processed is curled.
The sheet accommodating device is usually provided with a sheet accommodating portion for accommodating the discharged sheets. The accommodating portion(s) is usually one in number, but a second sheet accommodating portion may be additionally provided in some cases.
The second accommodating portion may be, for example, a sheet accommodating portion which is referred to as a “mail bin” and is provided with a plurality of bins for accommodating the sheets discharged from the sheet processing device in the intended bins corresponding to destinations or the like.
In the sheet accommodating device which is provided with the plurality of sheet accommodating portions, a plurality of complicated transporting paths are required for leading the sheets discharged from the sheet processing device to the respective sheet accommodating portions, respectively. Due to the complicated structure, sheet jamming which impedes the sheet accommodation is liable to occur. Further, these several transportation paths require a large space, and therefore increase the size of the sheet accommodating device.
As described above, the sheet accommodating device suffers from the foregoing problems in connection with smooth and appropriate accommodation of the sheets.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, an object of the invention is to provide a sheet accommodating device which can smoothly accommodate sheets discharged from a sheet processing device in a satisfactory state, compared with conventional sheet accommodating devices.
Another object of the invention is to provide a sheet accommodating device which can smoothly carry and accommodate sheets discharged from a sheet processing device in an aligned fashion.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a sheet accommodating device which can smoothly and accurately align sheets discharged from a sheet processing device while suppressing an influence by curling of the sheets.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide a sheet accommodating device which can smoothly and accurately align sheets discharged from a sheet processing device while suppressing an influence by curling of the sheets already discharged and accommodated.
Further another object of the invention is to provide a sheet accommodating device which can smoothly and accurately align sheets discharged from a sheet processing device while suppressing an influence by curling of the sheets already discharged and accommodated, and can efficiently accommodate the sheets.
A further object of the invention is to provide a sheet accommodating device which can smoothly and accurately align sheets discharged from a sheet processing device while suppressing an influence by curling of the sheets already discharged and accommodated, and does not require particular increase in size of the whole structure.
A further object of the invention is to provide a sheet accommodating device, which can smoothly and appropriately accommodate sheets discharged from a sheet processing device in a plurality of sheet accommodating portions, but can be entirely formed of a relatively small and compact structure.
A further object of the invention is to provide a sheet processing system which is formed of an image forming apparatus and a sheet accommodating device for accommodating the sheets discharged from the image forming apparatus, and can smoothly and appropriately accommodate the sheets discharged from the image forming apparatus.
The invention provides the following sheet accommodating devices.
(1) First Sheet Accommodating Device
A sheet accommodating device including:
a processing tray movable between a receiving position for receiving a discharged sheet and an escape position, the sheet being aligned in the receiving position;
a carrying tray for carrying a sheet or sheet bundle moved by its own weight as a result of retreating of the processing tray to the escape position;
a detector for detecting a vertical position of an upper surface of the uppermost sheet on the carrying tray; and
a tray position adjusting device for adjusting the vertical position of the carrying tray based on a result of detection by the detector such that the processing tray comes into contact with and pushes the sheet or sheet bundle on the carrying tray when the processing tray is in the receiving position.
(2) Second Sheet Accommodating Device
A sheet accommodating device including:
a processing tray movable between a receiving position for receiving a discharged sheet and an escape position, the sheet being aligned in the receiving position;
a carrying tray for carrying a sheet or sheet bundle moved by its own weight as a result of retreating of the processing tray to the escape position; and
a pushing member for pushing a rear end, in the sheet discharging direction, of the sheet or sheet bundle toward the carrying tray when the sheet or sheet bundle on the processing tray is moved to the carrying tray as a result of retreating of the processing tray.
(3) Third Sheet Accommodating Device
A sheet accommodating device including:
a sheet-laid tray for laying a discharged sheet thereon;
a transporting and aligning device for moving the sheet laid on the sheet-laid tray to an alignment reference position; and
a sheet pushing device including a pushing member for pushing a rear end, in the sheet discharging direction, of the sheet on the sheet-laid tray toward the sheet-laid tray, the pushing member being movable between a sheet pushing position and an escape position.
(4) Fourth Sheet Accommodating Device
A sheet accommodating device including:
a processing tray movable between a receiving position for receiving a discharged sheet and an escape position, the sheet being aligned in the receiving position; and
a carrying tray for carrying a sheet or sheet bundle moved by its own weight as a result of retreating of the processing tray to the escape position,
the processing tray being formed of a first tray supporting a sheet leading portion in the sheet discharging direction, and a second tray supporting a sheet rear portion.
(5) Fifth Sheet Accommodating Device
A sheet accommodating device including:
a processing tray movable between a receiving position for receiving a sheet and an escape position, the sheet being ali
Hama Riichi
Ishiguro Kuniaki
Murakami Tohru
Okabe Norikazu
Shinno Tatsuya
Ellis Christopher P.
Mackey Patrick
McDermott & Will & Emery
Minolta Co. , Ltd.
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