Sheet post-process apparatus and waiting tray

• US 7,409,185 B2
• Filed: 12/10/2004
• Issued: 08/05/2008
• 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, Sugizaki, Yoshiaki, Terao, Yasunobu
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Anthoy H.
• Application Number:
  US11/008,248
• Publication Number:
  US 20060067770A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,334 Days
• Field of Search: 399/405, 399/407, 399/408, 399/410, 270/58.09
• US Class Current: 399/405
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/6538 Devices for collating sheet copy material, e.g. sorters, control, copies in staples form

Abstract

A sheet processing apparatus is featured in that a waiting tray comprises an extensible tray set to enable projection of a transported sheet in a distal end direction and retraction into a distal end direction, wherein, in the case where a size of a sheet transported to the waiting tray exceeds a size set on the waiting tray, an extensible tray drive roller is driven to project the extensible tray in a transport proximal end direction of the sheet.

Claims

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

a waiting tray which temporarily retains a transported sheet, 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,

wherein the waiting tray makes a next sheet standby, so as not to be transported to the processing tray, until the predetermined processing of a preceding sheet on the processing tray has been completed;

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 and release the support of the left and right lower faces during release of the retention;

an extensible tray coupled to the left and right lower face support members, the extensible tray being projectively provided in a proximal end direction of the transported sheet, and remaining in a projected position after sheets have been dropped from the waiting tray;

drive means for projecting the extensible tray in a transport distal end direction of the sheet; and

control means for controlling the drive means, and

the control means controls the drive means to project the extensible tray in the transport proximal end direction of the sheet when it is sensed that a size of a sheet transported to the waiting tray exceeds a size set on the waiting tray, based on information concerning a size of the sheet transported to the waiting tray; and

sensor means for sensing height of sheets held on the waiting tray,

wherein the control means controls the drive means to adjust a projection length of the extensible tray, based on the height of sheets sensed by the sensor means.

2. A sheet post-process apparatus according to claim 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 from a proximal end side of the sheet to be transported and which is low at to 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.

3. A waiting tray for use in a sheet post-process apparatus, for temporarily retaining a transported sheet in a waiting mode, followed by 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 and release the support of the left and right lower faces during release of the retention,

wherein the left and right lower face support members make a next transported sheet standby, so as not to be transported to the processing tray, until a predetermined processing of a preceding sheet on the processing tray has been completed; and

an extensible tray coupled to the left and right lower face support members, the extensible tray being projectively provided on a proximal end direction of the transported sheet, and remaining in a projected position after sheets have been dropped from the waiting tray,

wherein the extensible tray is projected in the proximal end direction of the sheet when a size of a sheet transported to the waiting tray exceeds a size set on the waiting tray.

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

waiting means for temporarily retaining a transported sheet, 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,

wherein the waiting means makes a next transported sheet standby, so as not to be transported to the processing means, until the predetermined processing of a preceding sheet on the processing means has been completed;

storage means for holding the bundle of sheets processed and ejected by 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 mode and releasing the support of the left and right lower faces during release of the retention;

extensible means coupled to the left and right lower face support means, the extensible means being projectively provided in a proximal end direction of the transported sheet, and remaining in a projected position after sheets have been dropped from the waiting tray;

drive means for projecting the extensible means in a transport distal end direction of the sheet; and

control means for controlling the drive means, and

the control means controls the drive means to project the extensible tray in the transport proximal end direction of the sheet when it is sensed that a size of the sheet transported to the waiting tray exceeds a size set on the waiting means, based on information concerning a size of the sheet transported to the waiting tray; and

sensor means for sensing height of sheets held on the waiting means,

wherein the control means controls the drive means to adjust a projection length of the extensible means, based on the height of sheets sensed by the sensor means.