Recording sheet finishing apparatus

• US 5,590,871 A
• Filed: 02/07/1995
• Issued: 01/07/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 02/14/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Konica Corporation (Konica Minolta Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Konica Corporation (Konica Minolta Inc.)
• Inventors: Okabe, Hirohiko, Matsumoto, Toshitaka, Kawano, Minoru, Yukizane, Shigemi, Sekiguchi, Masaaki
• Primary Examiner(s): NOT, DEFINED
• Application Number:
  US08/384,912
• Time in Patent Office: 700 Days
• Field of Search: 355/324, 355/322, 271/240, 271/221, 270/58.08, 270/58.11, 270/58.12, 270/58.16, 270/58.17, 270/58.27
• US Class Current: 270/58.27
• CPC Class Codes: B42C 1/12 Machines for both collating or gathering and permanently attaching together the sheets or signatures
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2220/01 indicating an entity as a function of which control, adjustment or change is performed, i.e. input
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2511/30 Numbers, e.g. of windings or rotations
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 31/34 Apparatus for squaring-up piled articles

Abstract

A recording sheet finisher in use with an image forming apparatus such as a copier. The recording sheet finisher includes a stacker for stacking recording sheets, an aligning member for aligning the bundle of the recording sheets on the stacker, a counter for counting a number of the recording sheets bundled on the stacker, and a controller for controlling the aligning member so that the aligning member aligns the bundle of recording sheets after a first predetermined time period after the last one of the recording sheets is conveyed onto the other ones when the number of recording sheets bundled on the stacker is 25 or more, and aligns the bundle after a second predetermined time period when the number is not less than 25.

Claims

1. A recording sheet finishing apparatus in use with an image forming apparatus, comprising:

a stacker for stacking recording sheets conveyed in a conveyance direction from the image forming apparatus so as to form a bundle of said recording sheets on said stacker;

an aligning member for aligning said bundle of said recording sheets on said stacker by said aligning member moving in a direction perpendicular to said conveyance direction;

a stapler for stapling said bundle of said recording sheets which are aligned by said aligning member;

a counter for counting a number of said recording sheets bundled on said stacker, and for generating a counting signal; and

a control for controlling said aligning member so that;

a) said aligning member aligns said bundle of said recording sheets a first predetermined time period after a last one of said recording sheets is aligned with other said recording sheets when said number of said recording sheets is less than a predetermined number; and

b) said aligning member aligns said bundle of said recording sheets a second predetermined time period, which is longer than said first predetermined time period, after a last said recording sheet is aligned with said other recording sheets when said number of said recording sheets bundled on said stacker is not less than said predetermined number.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said predetermined number is 25.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said stacker is inclined vertically so that said stacker has a top portion and a bottom portion;

and said recoding sheet finishing apparatus further comprises;

a stopper, provided in a vicinity of said bottom portion, for true up said recoding sheets.