Sheet post-process apparatus

• US 20060066032A1
• Filed: 12/10/2004
• Published: 03/30/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toshiba Tec Corporation (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toshiba Tec Corporation (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Taki, Hiroyuki, Yamamoto, Mikio, Iijima, Tomomi, Murakami, Reiji, Terao, Yasunobu
• Granted Patent: US 7,175,174 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 270/58.110
• CPC Class Codes: B42C 1/12 Machines for both collating or gathering and permanently attaching together the sheets or signatures
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2301/36212 centering, positioning material symmetrically relatively to said first direction
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2301/4222 Squaring-up piles
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2301/422615 from opposite part-support elements, e.g. operated simultaneously
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2403/411 Double rack cooperating with one pinion, e.g. for performing symmetrical displacement relative to pinion
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 31/3018 from opposite part-support elements, e.g. operated simultaneously
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 31/32 Auxiliary devices for receiving articles during removal of a completed pile

Abstract

A waiting tray is provided at some midpoint of a conveying path, and a sheet is caused to be in a waiting state when a post-process is required. Before performing the post-process, a processing tray receives the sheet conveyed from the waiting tray and the sheet conveyed from a conveying path without passing through the waiting tray. At this point, waiting tray parts are moved toward a direction in which the waiting tray parts are separated from each other, and a bundle of paper starts fall-down. When the bundle of paper falls down, the waiting tray parts are moved toward the direction in which the waiting tray parts are brought close to each other, and an alignment member performs alignment in a transverse direction of the bundle of paper.

Claims

1. A sheet post-process apparatus comprising:

a plurality of rollers configured to receive and convey a sheet conveyed from an MFP main body;

a waiting tray which is provided at some midpoint of a conveying path, and is configured to cause the sheet conveyed from the roller to be in a waiting state when a post-process is required, the waiting tray being freely opened and closed in a transverse direction orthogonal to a sheet conveying direction, an alignment member being vertically provided on a lower side surface of a loading surface on which the sheet is loaded;

an open and close mechanism configured to open and close the waiting tray in a transverse direction;

a processing tray configured to receive the sheet conveyed from the waiting tray and the sheet conveyed from a conveying path without passing through the waiting tray before performing the post-process;

an alignment mechanism configured to align the sheets on the processing tray to form a bundle of sheets;

a post-process mechanism configured to perform the post-process of the bundle of sheets aligned on the processing tray;

a sheet conveying unit configured to convey the bundle of sheets to which the post-process has been performed from the processing tray; and

a storage tray configured to load the conveyed bundle of sheets thereon.

2. A sheet post-process apparatus according to claim 1, wherein transverse alignment of the sheet loaded on the processing tray is performed by the alignment member which is vertically provided on the lower side surface of the loading surface of the waiting tray.

3. A sheet post-process apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a drive unit configured to drive the open and close mechanism,

wherein, when the drive unit opens the waiting tray, the sheet loaded on the waiting tray falls down on the processing tray by a self weight, and the alignment member performs the transverse alignment of the sheet on the processing tray during a procedure in which the sheet falls down.

4. A sheet post-process apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the drive unit controls slight movement of the alignment member during the procedure in which the sheet falls down.

5. A sheet post-process apparatus according to claim 1, wherein widths in the sheet conveying directions of the waiting tray and the processing tray are smaller than the width in the conveying direction of the sheet.

6. A sheet post-process apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sheet is loaded across the processing sheet and the storage tray when the sheet falls down on the processing tray.