Sorter for a stencil printer and paper transport speed control device for sorter

• US 5,690,324 A
• Filed: 09/14/1995
• Issued: 11/25/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Canon Aptex, Inc. (Canon Inc.), Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Canon Aptex, Inc. (Canon Inc.), Tohoku Ricoh Company Limited (Ricoh Company Limited)
• Inventors: Omura, Hiromi, Hasegawa, Toshiharu, Otomo, Tomoya
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, HOANG M
• Application Number:
  US08/527,921
• Time in Patent Office: 803 Days
• Field of Search: 270/58.02, 270/58.04, 270/58.08, 270/58.14, 271/270, 271/292, 271/293, 271/294, 271/197, 271/202, 355/322, 355/323, 355/324, 101/2, 101/90
• US Class Current: 270/58.02
• 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 2511/10 Size; Dimensions
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 29/18 and introducing into a pile
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 39/02 Associating,collating or gathering articles from several sources

Abstract

A sorter having an intermediate transport device using a belt and for transporting printings to bins, and a transport speed control device for changing the transport speed depending on the size of the printings, and the type of the printings including thickness and quality, such that the transport device transports the printings at an optimal speed. The trailing edge portions of the printings are prevented from being left at the outside of the bins and causing jams and other troubles to occur.

Claims

1. A sorter for sorts papers sequentially coming out of an image forming apparatus and each carrying an image thereon, comprising:

a bin unit having a plurality of bins that receives and stacks the papers;

an intermediate transport unit disposed between said bin unit and said image forming apparatus, and which transports the papers to said bin unit at a predetermined transport speed;

a paper size detector which detects a size of the papers in two dimensions;

a memory configured to hold predetermined parameters associated with respective of plural paper sizes; and

a transport speed control unit configured to retrieve from said memory one of said predetermined parameters, as a predetermined parameter, associated with the size of the papers detected by said paper size detector and configured to control said predetermined transport speed based on said predetermined parameter.

2. A sorter as claimed in claim 1, wherein said paper size detector detects paper sizes in the range 90 to 318 mm in a first dimension and in the range of 148 to 432 mm in a second dimension.

3. A sorter as claimed in claim 1, wherein said transport speed control unit comprises control means for changing said predetermined transport speed on the basis of the size of the papers detected by the paper size detector.

4. A sorter as claimed in claim 3, wherein the predetermined parameter further comprises a type of the papers including at least one of a thickness and a quality.

5. A sorter as claimed in claim 4, wherein said transport speed control unit further comprises:

paper type setting means for setting the type of the papers;

said control means changing said predetermined transport speed on the basis of the type of the papers set by said paper type setting means, and the size detected.

6. A sorter as claimed in claim 1, wherein the predetermined parameter comprises a type of the papers including at least one of a thickness and a quality.

7. A sorter as claimed in claim 6, wherein said transport speed control unit comprises:

paper type setting means for setting the type of the papers; and

control means for controlling said predetermined transport speed on the basis of the type of the papers set.

8. A sorter as claimed in claim 1, wherein said transport speed control unit comprises:

setting means for manually setting a size of the papers; and

control means for controlling said predetermined transport speed based on at least one of said predetermined parameter and the manually set size of said papers set by said setting means.

9. A sorter as claimed in claim 8, wherein the setting means manually sets a thickness of the papers in addition to said size of said papers.

10. A sorter as claimed in claim 9, wherein said transport speed control means further comprises:

paper type setting means for setting the type of the papers;

said control means changing said predetermined transport speed on the basis of the type set and the size set.

11. A sorter as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

bin unit driving means for selectively moving said bin unit upward or downward, and for moving said bin unit to a home position after the papers have been fully sorted to said plurality of bins;

moving speed inputting means for selectively setting one of a plurality of predetermined moving speeds for said bin unit driving means to move said bin unit to said home position; and

control means for changing a moving speed of said bin unit to said home position on the basis of the moving speed set.

12. A sorter as claimed in claim 11, further comprising:

sort mode inputting means for setting a sort mode for sorting, when the papers are derived from a plurality of pages of documents, said papers to each of said plurality of bins in order of page; and

continuous mode or group mode inputting means for setting a continuous mode or a group mode for distributing, when the papers are derived from a single document, said papers to said plurality of bins one by one;

said control means lowering, when said continuous mode or said group mode is selected, the moving speed of said bin unit than when said sort mode is selected.

13. A sorter as claimed in claim 11, further comprising:

a stapler unit for sequentially stapling the papers stacked on said plurality of bins;

sort mode inputting means for setting a sort mode for sorting, when the papers are derived from a plurality of pages of documents, said papers to each of said plurality of bins in order of page; and

sort and staple mode inputting means for setting a sort and staple mode for automatically sorting the papers and then stapling said papers;

said control means increasing, when said sort and staple mode is selected, the moving speed of said bin unit than when said sort mode is selected.

14. A sorter as claimed in claim 11, further comprising:

size detecting means for detecting a size of the papers;

said control means further lowering the moving speed of said bin unit when the size detected is a postcard size and a continuous mode or a group mode is selected.

15. A sorter as claimed in claim 11, further comprising:

size setting means for setting a size of the papers;

said control means further lowering the moving speed of said bin unit when the size set is a postcard size and a continuous mode or a group mode is selected.

16. A sorter as claimed in claim 11, wherein a plurality of said sorters are serially connected to said image forming apparatus, said control means further raising the moving speed or said bin unit when a continuous mode or a group mode is selected for sequentially distributing, when the papers are derived from a single document, said papers to the bins of said plurality of sorters.

17. A sorter as claimed in claim 1, wherein said image forming apparatus comprises a stencil printer.

18. A device for controlling an intermediate transport unit for transporting papers sequentially coming out of an image forming apparatus to a plurality of bins of a bin unit of a sorter at a predetermined transport speed, said device comprising:

size detecting means for detecting a size of the papers in two dimensions and producing a corresponding predetermined parameter particular to the papers; and

control means for changing said predetermined transport speed based on the predetermined parameter produced by said size detecting means.

19. A device as claimed in claim 18, further comprising:

paper type setting means for setting a type of the papers including at least one of a thickness and a quality;

said control means changing said predetermined transport speed on the basis of the type of the papers set, and the size detected.

20. A device for controlling an intermediate transport unit for transporting papers sequentially coming out of an image forming apparatus to a plurality of bins of a bin unit of a sorter at a predetermined transport speed, said device comprising:

paper type setting means for setting a type of the papers including at least one of a thickness and a quality; and

control means for changing said predetermined transport speed on the basis of the type set.

21. A device for controlling an intermediate transport unit for transporting papers sequentially coming out of an image forming apparatus to a plurality of bins of a bin unit of a sorter at a predetermined transport speed, said device comprising;

size setting means for setting a size of the papers; and

control means for changing said predetermined transport speed on the basis of the size set.

22. A device as claimed in claim 21, further comprising:

paper type setting means for setting a type of the papers including at least one of a thickness and a quality;

said control means changing said predetermined transport speed on the basis of the type set and the size set.

23. A sorter for sorting papers sequentially coming out of an image forming apparatus and each carrying an image thereon, said sorter comprising:

a bin unit having a plurality of bins for receiving and stacking the papers;

an intermediate transport unit disposed between said bin unit and said image forming apparatus, for transporting the papers to said bin unit at a predetermined transport speed, said intermediate transport unit having a belt and a suction unit for retaining each of the papers on the belt;

a paper size detector for detecting a size of the papers;

a memory configured to hold predetermined parameters associated with respective of plural paper sizes; and

a transport speed control unit configured to retrieve from said memory one of said predetermined parameters, as a predetermined parameter, associated with the size of the papers detected by said paper size detector and configured to control said predetermined transport speed based on said predetermined parameter.

24. A sorter as claimed in claim 23, wherein said transport speed control unit comprises control means for changing said predetermined transport speed on the basis of the size of the papers detected by said paper size detector.

25. A control device for controlling an intermediate transport unit for transporting papers sequentially coming out of an image forming apparatus to a plurality of bins of a bin unit of a sorter at a predetermined transport speed, said intermediate transport unit having a belt and a suction unit for retaining each of the papers on the belt, said control device comprising:

size detecting means for detecting a size of the papers and producing a corresponding predetermined parameter particular to the papers; and

control means for changing said predetermined transport speed based on the predetermined parameter produced by said size detecting means.

26. A sorter which sorts papers sequentially coming out of an image forming apparatus and each carrying an image thereon, comprising:

a bin unit having a plurality of bins that receives and stacks the papers;

an intermediate transport unit disposed between said bin unit and said image forming apparatus, and which transports the papers to said bin unit at a predetermined transport speed;

a paper size detector which detects a size of the papers in two dimensions and produces a corresponding predetermined parameter particular to the papers; and

a transport speed control unit which controls said predetermined transport speed based on the predetermined parameter,

said transport speed control unit comprising paper type setting means for setting the type of the papers including at least one of a thickness and a quality and control means changing said predetermined transport speed based on the type of the papers set by said type setting means, and the size detected.

27. A sorter which sorts papers sequentially coming out of an image forming apparatus and each carrying an image thereon, comprising:

a bin unit having a plurality of bins that receives and stacks the papers;

an intermediate transport unit disposed between said bin unit and said image forming apparatus, and which transports the papers to said bin unit at a predetermined transport speed;

paper type setting means for setting the type of the papers included at least one of a thickness and a quality; and

a transport speed control means which controls said predetermined transport speed based on the type of the papers set.

28. A sorter which sorts papers sequentially coming out of an image forming apparatus and each carrying an image thereon, comprising:

a bin unit having a plurality of bins that receives and stacks the papers;

an intermediate transport unit disposed between said bin unit and said image forming apparatus, and which transports the papers to said bin unit at a predetermined transport speed;

a paper size detector which detects a size of the papers in two dimensions and produces a corresponding predetermined parameter particular to the papers; and

transport speed control unit which controls said predetermined transport speed based on the predetermined parameter,

said transport speed control unit comprising setting means for manually setting a size of the papers and control means for controlling said predetermined transport speed based on at least one of said predetermined parameter and the manually set size of said papers set by said setting means.

29. A sorter which sorts papers sequentially coming out of an image forming apparatus and each carrying an image thereon, comprising:

a bin unit having a plurality of bins that receives and stacks the papers;

an intermediate transport unit disposed between said bin unit and said image forming apparatus, and which transports the papers to said bin unit at a predetermined transport speed;

a paper size detector which detects a size of the papers in two dimensions and produces a corresponding predetermined parameter particular to the papers;

a transport speed control unit which controls said predetermined transport speed based on the predetermined parameter;

bin unit driving means which selectively moves said bin unit upward or downward, and moves said bin unit to a home position after the papers have been fully sorted to said plurality of bins;

moving speed inputting means for selectively setting one of a plurality of predetermined moving speeds for said bin unit driving means to move said bin unit to said home position; and

control means for changing a moving speed of said bin unit to said home position based on the moving speed set.