Sheet post-process apparatus and waiting tray

• US 20060067764A1
• 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, Ise, Tokihiko, Iijima, Tomomi, Sugizaki, Yoshiaki, Terao, Yasunobu
• Granted Patent: US 7,206,542 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 399/405
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/6544 Details about the binding means or procedure
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 2215/00426 Post-treatment device adding qualities to the copy medium product G03G2215/00421 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 2215/00827 Stapler

Abstract

A waiting tray comprises left and right lower face support members for supporting a sheet. These support members are formed so that a width of an opening portion formed therebetween is wide at a distal end side as compared with a proximal end side in a transport direction of a sheet to be transported to the waiting tray. When the sheet which is not required to be retained in a waiting mode is transported to the waiting tray, at a time point when the sheet distal end reaches the waiting tray, both of the support members are opened to an extent such that the width of the opening portion of the left and right lower face support members is narrower than a sheet width at the proximal end side in the transport direction of the sheet, and is wider than the sheet width at the distal end side of the sheet. In this manner the sheet is dropped from the sheet distal end to the processing tray immediately without being retained in a waiting mode.

Claims

1. A sheet post-process apparatus, the apparatus comprising:

a waiting tray which temporarily retains a transported sheet in a waiting mode, and releases the retention to drop the sheet;

a processing tray which bundles sheets dropped from the waiting tray to carry out predetermined processing, and ejects the sheets; and

a storage tray which holds the bundle of sheets processed and ejected on the processing tray,

wherein the waiting tray comprises;

left and right lower face support members which support left and right lower faces in a sheet transport direction during retention in a waiting mode and release the support of the left and right lower faces during release of the retention, a width of an opening portion formed between both of the members being widely formed at a distal end side compared with a proximal end side in a transport direction of a sheet transported to the waiting tray;

drive means for opening the left and right lower face support members to widen the width of the opening portion;

sensor means for sensing the sheet transported to the waiting tray; and

control means for driving the driver device based on the sense signal of the sensor means, and

the control means controls the drive means so that both of the support members are opened to an extent such that the width of the opening portion is narrower than the sheet width at the proximal end side in the transport direction of the sheet and is wider than the sheet width at the distal end side thereof and so that the sheet is dropped from the sheet distal end to the processing tray without being retained in a waiting mode.

2. A sheet post-process apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control means controls the drive means upon the receipt of a signal indicating that the sheet to be transported to the waiting tray is a sheet which is not required to be retained in a waiting mode.

3. A sheet post-process apparatus according to 1, wherein the waiting tray is allocated to be proximal to an upper stage of the processing tray,

the processing tray and the waiting tray are allocated in an inclined shape which is high at a proximal end side of a sheet to be transported and which is low at a distal end side thereof,

the processing tray and the waiting tray are shorter in length of a sheet transport direction thereof than a length of a standard sheet to be held, and

a part of the proximal end side in the transport direction of the sheet held on the processing tray is held on the storage tray.

4. A waiting tray for use in a sheet post-process apparatus, for temporarily retaining a transported sheet in a waiting mode and releasing the support, making it possible to drop the sheet on a processing tray, the waiting tray comprising:

left and right lower face support members which support left and right lower faces in a sheet transport direction during retention in a waiting mode and release the support of the left and right lower faces during release of the retention, a width of an opening portion formed between both of the members being widely formed at a distal end side compared with a proximal end side in a transport direction of a sheet transported to the waiting tray;

drive means for opening the left and right lower face support members to widen the width of the opening portion;

sensor means for sensing the sheet transported to the waiting tray; and

control means for driving the driver device based on the sense signal of the sensor means, and

the control means controls the drive means so that both of the support members are opened to an extent such that the width of the opening portion is narrower than the sheet width at the proximal end side in the transport direction of the sheet and is wider than the sheet width at the distal end side thereof and so that the sheet is dropped from the sheet distal end to the processing tray without being retained in a waiting mode.

5. A waiting tray according to claim 4, wherein the left and right lower face support members are slidable in a widthwise direction of a sheet to be transported.

6. A sheet post-process apparatus, the apparatus comprising:

waiting means for temporarily retaining a transported sheet in a waiting mode, and releasing the retention to drop the sheet;

processing means for bundling sheets dropped from the waiting means to carry out predetermined processing, and ejecting the sheets; and

storage means for holding the bundle of sheets processed and ejected on the processing means,

wherein the waiting means comprises;

left and right lower face support means for supporting left and right lower faces in a sheet transport direction during retention in a waiting mode and releasing the support of the left and right lower faces during release of the retention, a width of an opening portion formed between both of the means being widely formed at a distal end side compared with a proximal end side in a transport direction of a sheet transported to the waiting means;

drive means for opening the left and right lower face support means to widen the width of the opening portion;

sensor means for sensing the sheet transported to the waiting means; and

control means for driving the driver device based on the sense signal of the sensor means, and

the control means controls the drive means so that both of the support members are opened to an extent such that the width of the opening portion is narrower than the sheet width at the proximal end side in the transport direction of the sheet and is wider than the sheet width at the distal end side thereof and so that the sheet is dropped from the sheet distal end to the processing tray without being retained in a waiting mode.