Waiting tray for sheet processing tray

• US 7,172,187 B2
• Filed: 12/10/2004
• Issued: 02/06/2007
• 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, Yamamoto, Hajime, Sugizaki, Yoshiaki, Terao, Yasunobu
• Primary Examiner(s): Crawford; Gene O.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nicholson, III; Leslie A.
• Application Number:
  US11/008,295
• Publication Number:
  US 20060066029A1
• Time in Patent Office: 788 Days
• Field of Search: 270/58.08, 270/58.11, 270/58.12, 270/58.14, 270/58.18, 399/410, 271/189, 271/190, 271/191, 271/192
• US Class Current: 270/58.08
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 37/04 for securing together articles or webs, e.g. by adhesive, stitching or stapling adhering replacement to expiring web during change of web roll B65H19/18

Abstract

A waiting tray is provided in a sheet-conveying path and holds sheets if the sheets need to be post-processed. A processing tray receives sheets conveyed from the waiting tray. It may receive sheets conveyed through the sheet-conveying path and coming not via the waiting tray, before the sheets are post-processed. A conveying mechanism is provided, which causes the sheets to fall, due to gravity, from the waiting tray onto a processing tray. A sheet-aligning mechanism aligns the sheets on the processing tray, at their transverse edges and longitudinal edges. On the processing tray, the sheets are post-processed, forming a bundle. The conveying mechanism conveys the bundle of sheets to a storage tray. A control mechanism controls the speed of sheet-feeding rollers provided at upstream of the waiting tray, thereby to the place sheets at a preset position on the waiting tray.

Claims

1. A sheet post-process apparatus, comprising:

a plurality of input rollers which receive sheets from a multi-function peripheral and convey the sheets forward;

sheet-feeding rollers which are provided downstream from the plurality of input rollers and receive the sheets from the plurality of input rollers;

a waiting tray which is provided in a conveying path and holds some of the sheets conveyed from the sheet-feeding rollers when a bundle of sheets needs to be post-processed;

a control mechanism which controls a speed of the sheet-feeding rollers provided upstream of the waiting tray, the control mechanism using a detected leading edge of the sheets to control the speed of the sheet-feeding rollers;

a processing tray which holds the sheets conveyed from the waiting tray and other sheets forming the bundle of sheets, before the bundle of sheets is post-processed; and

a post-process mechanism which performs a post-process on the bundle of sheets on the processing tray, comprising;

a first sensor that detects sheet information supplied from the multi-function peripheral and the leading edge of the sheets;

a second sensor provided between the first sensor and the waiting tray, that detects the leading edge of the sheets; and

a control unit that generates a control signal for controlling the speed of the sheet-feeding rollers, from the sheet information and the leading edge detected by the first and second sensors.

2. The sheet post-process apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control mechanism controls the speed of the sheet-feeding rollers in accordance with job information supplied from the multi-function peripheral.

3. The sheet post-process apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control mechanism controls the speed of the sheet-feeding rollers in accordance with information representing a size of the sheets.

4. The sheet post-process apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a sheet-conveying mechanism which conveys the post-processed bundle of sheets from the processing tray.

5. The sheet post-process apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising a storage tray which stacks the bundle of sheets conveyed by the sheet-conveying mechanism.

6. The sheet post-process apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processing tray holds the other sheets conveyed via the conveying path without being conveyed to the waiting tray before the bundle of sheets is post-processed.

7. The sheet post-process apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the waiting tray includes an alignment mechanism.

8. The sheet post-process apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processing tray includes an alignment mechanism.

9. A sheet post-process apparatus, comprising:

a plurality of input rollers which receive sheets from a multi-function peripheral and convey the sheets forward;

sheet-feeding rollers which are provided downstream from the plurality of input rollers and receive the sheets from the plurality of input rollers;

a waiting tray which is provided in a conveying path and holds some of the sheets conveyed from the sheet feeding rollers when a bundle of sheets needs to be post-processed;

means for controlling a speed of the sheet-feeding rollers provided upstream of the waiting tray, the means for controlling using a detected leading edge of the sheets to control the speed of the sheet-feeding rollers; and

a processing tray which holds the sheets conveyed from the waiting tray and other sheets forming the bundle of sheets, before the bundle of sheets is post-processed; and

a post-process mechanism which performs a post-process on the bundle of sheets on the processing tray, comprising;

first detecting means for detecting sheet information supplied from the multi-function peripheral and a leading edge of the sheets;

second detecting means for detecting the leading edge of the sheets provided between the first detecting means and the waiting tray; and

control means for generating a control signal for controlling the speed of the sheet-feeding rollers, from the sheet information and the leading edge detected by the first and second detecting means.

10. The sheet post-process apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the means for controlling controls the speed of the sheet-feeding rollers in accordance with job information supplied from the multi-function peripheral.

11. The sheet post-process apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the means for controlling controls the speed of the sheet-feeding rollers in accordance with information representing a size of the sheets.

12. The sheet post-process apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising a sheet-conveying mechanism which conveys the post-processed bundle of sheets from the processing tray.

13. The sheet post-process apparatus according to claim 12, further comprising a storage tray which stacks the bundle of sheets conveyed by the sheet-conveying mechanism.

14. The sheet post-process apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the processing tray holds the other sheets conveyed via the conveying path without being conveyed to the waiting tray before the bundle of sheets is post-processed.

15. The sheet post-process apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the waiting tray includes an alignment mechanism.

16. The sheet post-process apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the processing tray includes an alignment mechanism.

17. A method for post-processing sheets, comprising:

receiving sheets by a plurality of input rollers from a multi-function peripheral;

conveying the sheets forward through a conveying path by a plurality of sheet-feeding rollers;

detecting a leading edge of the sheets when being conveyed;

holding some of the sheets conveyed from the sheet-feeding rollers on a waiting tray;

controlling a speed of the sheet-feeding rollers using the detected leading edge of the sheets;

receiving the sheets from the waiting tray and other sheets forming a bundle of sheets before the bundle of sheets is post-processed on a processing tray; and

carrying out a post-processing operation on the bundle of sheets on the processing tray, comprising;

detecting sheet information supplied from the multi-function peripheral and the leading edge of the sheets by a first sensor;

detecting the leading edge of the sheets by a second sensor provided between the first sensor and the waiting tray; and

generating a control signal for controlling the speed of the sheet-feeding rollers, from the sheet information and the leading edge detected by the first and second sensors.