Sheet feeding or delivering – Delivering – Multiple discharge
Reexamination Certificate
1999-06-22
2001-06-26
Walsh, Donald P. (Department: 3653)
Sheet feeding or delivering
Delivering
Multiple discharge
C271S278000, C271S279000, C271S287000, C271S288000, C271S289000, C271S305000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06250631
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a sheet handling unit for placing sheets outputted from an image processing apparatus such as a printer, an electrostatographic copying machine or a facsimile machine in a designated mail tray or a predetermined tray.
2. Description of Related Art
Image processing apparatuses such as printers are often shared by plural information processors such as computers and workstations via networks. In such a case, a single printer, for example, is shared by plural users. The term “user” herein means a single person or a group of persons.
Such a so-called network printer is preferably equipped with a sheet handling unit called a “mailbox unit” which is adapted to place sheets outputted on the basis of each user's print information into the corresponding user-specific mail tray.
With an increase in the processing speed of the image processing apparatuses, there occurs a demand for a sheet handling unit capable of stacking a large volume of sheets. Further, it is often desired that the sheet handling unit additionally has post-processing functions such as a stapling function.
FIG. 15
shows one exemplary sheet handling unit of the prior art which satisfies the aforesaid demands. The sheet handling unit
41
is used in connection with a printer
42
, and includes a sheet introduction path
43
for introducing a sheet outputted from the printer
42
. The introduction path
43
is branched into an upper and lower branch paths
43
a
,
43
b
. The upper branch path
43
a
guides the sheet to a processing station
45
having a stapling mechanism
44
for stapling a stack of plural sheets. The lower branch path
43
b
is connected to a sheet transportation mechanism
47
. The sheet transportation mechanism
47
discharges a sheet selectively to any one of plural mail trays
48
arranged in a vertically spaced and tiered relation adjacent a lower portion of a unit body
52
.
A stacker
46
for receiving a large volume of sheets delivered from the processing station
45
is provided in a vertically movable manner above the plural mail trays
48
. Provided in the unit body
52
is a sheet delivering mechanism
49
for delivering a sheet to a designated one of the mail trays
48
or to the stacker
46
on the basis of sheet destination information applied thereto from an information processor.
The sheet delivering mechanism
49
includes a first path switching claw
50
for delivering a sheet switchably to the sheet transportation mechanism
47
or to the stacker
46
on the basis of the sheet destination information, and second path switching claws
51
for delivering the sheet transported thereto via the sheet transportation mechanism
47
switchably to any one of the mail trays
48
on the basis of the sheet destination information. With this arrangement, the sheet handling unit can stack sheets (which may be stapled as required) on the stacker
46
, and place sheets respectively carrying images recorded thereon on the basis of print information outputted from different information processors in the respective mail trays
48
for assortment thereof.
With the sheet handling unit of this arrangement, however, plural sheets to be discharged onto the mail tray
48
cannot be subjected to the stapling process.
To overcome this problem, the inventors of the present invention have developed a sheet handling unit
62
as shown in FIG.
14
.
This improved sheet handling unit
62
includes a processing station
64
having a sheet stapling mechanism
63
and provided in a vertically movable manner in a unit body
65
. A plurality of mail trays
66
are fixed to an upper portion of the unit body
65
in a vertically spaced and tiered relation. A vertically movable stacker
61
is provided below the mail trays
66
. Further provided in the unit body
65
are an elevating mechanism for moving up and down the entire processing station
64
and a control unit (not shown) for controlling the elevating mechanism. Sheets are stapled as required, and then discharged to any designated one of the mail trays
66
or to the stacker
61
by moving up or down the processing station
64
.
With this arrangement, the sheet handling unit can stack a large volume of optionally stapled sheets on the stacker
61
, and discharge stapled sheets in any designated one of the user-specific mail trays
66
.
Unfortunately, the improved sheet handling unit
62
, which is arranged to move up and down the heavy processing station
64
with the sheet stapling mechanism
63
, has a complicated and bulky structure and requires a high-power drive source. Therefore, the unit suffers from significant increase in size and costs.
The sheet handling unit
62
has another drawback that the provision of a sheet sorting mechanism is difficult. More specifically, where plural copies of a single plural-page document are sequentially printed, it is preferred that plural stacks of print-out sheets are discharged discretely on a copy-by-copy basis in a mail tray or stacker. Further, where plural documents are sequentially printed, it is preferred that plural stacks of print-out sheets are discharged discretely on a document-by-document basis in a mail tray or stacker.
A so-called offset sheet discharging mechanism is known as a mechanism serving for this purpose. The offset sheet discharging mechanism is adapted to discharge respective sheet stacks in slightly different discharge positions in a tray for assortment. Addition of such an offset discharging mechanism to the aforesaid sheet handling unit
62
requires a mechanism for shifting the entire processing station
64
in a sheet widthwise direction. This results in an even more complicated construction of the unit and a significant increase in costs.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is a first object of the present invention to provide a compact and less expensive sheet handling unit which is capable of discharging optionally stapled sheets onto mail trays and a stacker.
It is a second object of the invention to provide a sheet handling unit which requires a smaller installation space.
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a sheet handling unit which comprises: a unit body; a processing station fixedly provided in the unit body and having a stapling mechanism for stapling a plurality of sheets; a plurality of mail trays fixedly attached to the unit body for receiving sheets transported thereto from the processing station; a bulk tray attached in a vertically movable manner to the unit body for receiving sheets transported thereto from the processing station; and a sheet delivering mechanism for delivering sheets transported thereto from the processing station switchably to any of the mail trays or to the bulk tray.
According to the invention, the sheets optionally subjected to a stapling operation in the processing station can be discharged not only to the bulk tray but also to the mail tray. Since the processing station is fixedly provided in the unit body, there is no need for the provision of an elevating mechanism and a powerful drive source therefor which may otherwise be required for moving the bulky and heavy component. Hence, the unit has a simple and compact construction which avoids the increase in the unit costs.
The sheet delivering mechanism may include a mail-tray sheet transporting mechanism for transporting the sheets transported thereto from the processing station toward the mail trays, a first switching mechanism for delivering the sheets transported thereto from the processing station switchably to the mail-tray sheet transporting mechanism or to the bulk tray, and a second switching mechanism for delivering the sheets transported into the mail-tray sheet transporting mechanism selectively to any of the plural mail trays.
Specifically, the first switching mechanism permits the sheets from the processing station to be transported switchably toward the mail trays or to the bulk tray, while the second switching mechanism permits the sheets transported toward the m
Hanamoto Katsuhiko
Irie Yohichiro
Nishioka Nobuhiro
Beauchaine Mark J
Kyocera Mita Corporation
Smith , Gambrell & Russell, LLP
Walsh Donald P.
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