Sheet feeding or delivering – Delivering – Multiple discharge
Reexamination Certificate
1999-08-31
2001-12-04
Ellis, Christopher P. (Department: 3651)
Sheet feeding or delivering
Delivering
Multiple discharge
C271S305000, C270S058220
Reexamination Certificate
active
06325371
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a sheet conveying apparatus with a conveying path changing means and a sorter, and more particularly it relates to a sheet treating apparatus (sorter) having a function for sorting voluntarily and conveying sheets into a plurality of trays and an image forming apparatus.
2. Related Background Art
Recently, in image forming apparatuses such as copying machines, printers, facsimiles and the like, a sheet treating apparatus in which sheets are fed to the image forming apparatus and/or sheets on which image were recorded are sorted voluntarily into a plurality of trays and discharged or stapled has been used.
Such a technique was devised for the reason that, in an image forming apparatus such as a network printer which are used by plural persons, if a large number of sheets on which image were recorded are discharged onto a single tray, since it is difficult to discriminate who requires respective sheets in a sheet bundle discharged and stacked on the tray, the imaged sheets can be voluntarily sorted into a plurality of trays to assort respective documents. Among such conventional sheet treating apparatuses, for example, there is a sorter device in which sheets conveyed from a main body of an image forming apparatus are received and the received sheets are voluntarily sorted into a plurality of discharge trays to stack the sheets on the trays while conveying the sheets through a common sheet conveying path (common conveying path). As is well known, such a sorter device is used to be connected to a middle speed or high speed copying machine for mainly copying the same document by plural parts or a large size printer for printing a large number of sheets.
More specifically, for example, there is a sheet treating apparatus (sorter) of type in which discharge trays are fixed. Such a sheet treating apparatus comprises a plurality of discharge trays, a convey guide in which a plural pairs of discharge rollers for discharging sheet onto respective discharge trays are fixed to a main body of the apparatus and which defines a common conveying path and defines branch paths for guiding the sheets from the common conveying path to areas where the respective pair of discharge rollers are disposed, changing means (changing flappers) for voluntarily switching a conveying direction of each sheet at brunch paths of the common conveying path, and solenoids for driving the changing flappers. By one of the plural flappers simultaneously driven by a single actuating means through connecting means and elastic members, each sheet is sorted and is guided to a desired tray. If the flapper used for sorting the sheet is a downstream flapper among the flappers simultaneously driven, since flappers upstream of the downstream flapper abut against the sheet being conveyed, the common conveying path is not blocked by the upstream flappers.
However, in the conventional sorter, there are many unstable factors such as the facts that the plurality of flappers are driven simultaneously, that the flappers are driven via the elastic members, and that there is a case in which some flappers abut against the sheet and a case in which no flappers abut against the sheet. Thus, there is need for providing means for completing the oscillating movements of the flappers reliably and for ensuring that the sheet is discharged on the desired tray.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention aims to eliminate the above-mentioned conventional drawback and an object of the present invention is to provide a sheet conveying apparatus in which a sheet is reliably conveyed in a predetermined conveying path.
To achieve the above object, according to the present invention, there is provided a sheet conveying apparatus comprising oscillatable changing means for changing a conveying path, electromotive means for generating an actuating force for oscillating the changing means, and a detecting means for confirming a movement of the changing means.
The electromotive means and the changing means may be interconnected through connecting means, and the detecting means may detect a movement of the connecting means.
When a fact that the changing means is not operated correctly is detected by the detecting means, alarm may be emitted, or alarm may be emitted and the apparatus may be stopped.
The sheet conveying apparatus may comprise a main conveying path for conveying a sheet, a plurality of branched paths branched from the main conveying path, a plurality of oscillatable changing means for selecting between a switched position where a sheet is guided from the main conveying path to one of the branched paths and a retracted position for permitting passage of the sheet, single electromotive means for oscillating the plurality of changing means, single connecting means for connecting the electromotive means and the changing means, and detecting means for confirming a movement of the connecting means.
As mentioned above, according to the present invention, even if an erroneous changeover occurs, the alarm can be emitted to the user. Accordingly, for example, even if the sheet is discharged to any tray other than the desired tray, it is very unlikely that the sheet is left on the incorrect tray, and, even when the apparatus is used commonly by plural persons, any trouble does not occur.
Further, during manufacturing, unstable factors can easily be found, and, thus, an apparatus having no unstable factor, which increases reliability, can be presented to the user.
Since the plurality of connecting members are detected by the single detecting means, cost for detection can be minimized.
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Araki Tomoyuki
Fukatsu Masayoshi
Hayakawa Yasuyoshi
Komatsu Teruo
Ogata Atsushi
Bower Kenneth W.
Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
Ellis Christopher P.
Fitzpatrick ,Cella, Harper & Scinto
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