Sheet feeding or delivering – Delivering – With transfer means between conveyor and receiver
Reexamination Certificate
1999-11-23
2001-09-04
Ellis, Christopher P. (Department: 3651)
Sheet feeding or delivering
Delivering
With transfer means between conveyor and receiver
C271S163000, C271S178000, C271S218000, C271S220000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06283470
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a sheet treating apparatus capable of discharging sheets in the shape of a bundle, and an image forming apparatus equipped with such sheet treating apparatus.
2. Related Background Art
The conventional sheet treating apparatus
500
, shown in FIG.
44
and capable of discharging sheets in the shape of a bundle, receives a sheet, on which an image is formed by an unrepresented image forming apparatus, by paired entrance rollers
2
and discharges the sheet by a large conveying roller
5
onto an intermediate tray
230
, and, when plural sheets are stacked, the sheets are discharged as a bundle onto a tray
200
by rollers
180
a
,
180
b
. The roller
180
b
is elevated or lowered by a pivotally movable guide
150
. When plural sheets are stacked on the intermediate tray
230
, the sheets are pressed against a trailing end stopper
231
by a rotating elastic annular knurled belt
182
, constituting a sheet trailing end aligning member, whereby the trailing end of the sheets is aligned.
The sheet may be composed of plain paper, a thin resinous sheet used as substitute for plain paper, a postcard, an envelope or a thin plastic plate.
Also the image forming apparatus can be a copying apparatus, a facsimile apparatus, a printer or a composite apparatus thereof.
However, when the sheet is discharged onto the intermediate tray
230
by discharge rollers
7
, the trailing end of the sheet may be bent upwards in a curled state. In such case, the trailing end of the sheet comes into contact with the knurled belt
182
, and is further bent upwards by the rotation of the discharge roller
7
whereby the sheet cannot be stacked on the intermediate tray
230
with alignment of the trailing end with other sheets, so that the alignment of the trailing end is unsatisfactory in such apparatus.
Also such upward bent sheet may be pinched between the knurled belt
182
and the intermediate tray
230
, leading eventually to sheet jamming.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The object of the present invention is to provide a sheet treating apparatus capable of improving the alignment of the trailing end of the sheets and preventing sheet jamming, and an image forming apparatus provided with such sheet treating apparatus.
According to the present invention, there is provided a sheet treating apparatus capable of stacking sheets in the shape of a bundle, the apparatus comprising sheet stacking means so positioned in the main body that the trailing end of the sheet stacking means is lower than the leading end and serving to stack sheets on the sheet stacking means, a sheet receiving member projecting from the sheet stacking means and serving to receive the trailing end of the sheets on the sheet stacking means, sheet advancing means for advancing sheet onto the sheet stacking means, an elastic annular sheet trailing end aligning member rotatably disposed in the vicinity of the sheet advancing means and serving to move the sheets stacked on the sheet stacking means toward the sheet receiving member, and a pivotally movable regulating member provided in a vertically pivotable manner in the vicinity of the sheet advancing means, the pivotally movable regulating member descending after the sheets are discharged onto the sheet stacking means and having an inclined surface for guiding, in the descended state of the pivotally movable regulating member, the trailing end of the sheet in the floating state on the sheet stacking means toward the sheet stacking means, wherein the distal end of the inclined surface in the descended state of the pivotally movable regulating member protrudes externally from the external periphery of the sheet trailing end aligning member while the lower end is positioned lower than the center of the sheet trailing end aligning member when the sheet trailing end aligning member is in a truly circular state and the lower end is in the vicinity of the external periphery of the sheet trailing end aligning member.
The sheet, bearing the image formed thereon, is conveyed in the main body and is discharged by the sheet advancing means onto the sheet stacking means. Then the pivotally movable regulating member in the elevated state descends. The-sheet discharged onto the sheet stacking means slides on the inclined sheet stacking means and is received by the sheet receiving member, whereby the trailing end of the sheet is aligned.
In case the trailing end of the sheet discharged onto the sheet stacking means is significantly bent upwards, such trailing end comes into contact with the inclined surface of the pivotally movable regulating member in the course of sliding down on the sheet stacking means, whereby the bending of the sheet is corrected and the sheet is brought into contact with the sheet receiving member by the rotation of the sheet trailing end aligning member.
Since the lower end of the inclined surface of the pivotally movable regulating member is positioned lower than the center of the sheet trailing end aligning member, the trailing end, significantly bent upward, of the sheet does not come into contact with the external periphery of the sheet trailing end aligning member which is positioned higher than the center of the sheet trailing end aligning member, whereby the trailing end of the sheet securely enters between the sheet trailing end aligning member and the sheet stacking means.
The sheets after trailing end alignment are discharged as a bundle from the main body.
In the sheet treating apparatus of the present invention, the pivotally movable regulating member is so provided as to pivotally move to an upper position not interfering with the sheet when the sheet is advanced by the sheet advancing means.
In the sheet treating apparatus of the present invention, the pivotally movable regulating member is provided in each of plural positions in a direction crossing the sheet advancing direction, and at least one of such members is positioned outside the sheet trailing end aligning member.
As the pivotally movable regulating member is positioned outside the sheet trailing end aligning member, the sheet can be securely guided even if a corner portion of the trailing end of the sheet is curled.
The image forming apparatus of the present invention is provided with image forming means for forming an image on the sheet, and any one of the above-described sheet treating apparatuses.
In the sheet treating apparatus of the present invention, in case the trailing end of the sheet discharged onto the sheet stacking means is significantly bent upwards, the trailing end of the sheet comes into contact with the inclined surface of the pivotally movable regulating member in the middle of the sliding-down motion of the sheet on the sheet stacking means whereby the sheet bending is corrected and the trailing end is brought into contact with the sheet receiving member by the rotation of the sheet trailing end aligning member. It is therefore rendered possible to improve the alignment of the sheet trailing end and to prevent the sheet from being pinched between the sheet trailing end aligning member and the sheet stacking means thereby avoiding the sheet jamming.
Also when the sheet is advanced by the sheet advancing means, the pivotally movable regulating member pivots upwards to avoid interference with the sheet, whereby the sheet can be smoothly discharged onto the sheet stacking means.
Also, as the pivotally movable regulating member is positioned outside the sheet trailing end aligning member, the sheet can be securely guided even if the corner portion of the trailing end of the sheet is curled.
The image forming apparatus of the present invention, being provided with the above-described sheet treating apparatus capable of discharging the sheets in the shape of a bundle without sheet jamming or damage to the sheet, can provide the user with sheets of satisfactory quality.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4883265 (1989-11-01), Iida et al.
patent: 5249793 (1993-10-01), Scheufler
patent: 5294107 (1994-03-01), Allmendinger et a
Bower Kenneth W
Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
Ellis Christopher P.
Fitzpatrick ,Cella, Harper & Scinto
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