Sheet post-process apparatus

• US 7,802,788 B2
• Filed: 12/09/2009
• Issued: 09/28/2010
• 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, Iizuka, Chiaki, Yamamoto, Mikio, Yamamoto, Hajime, Iijima, Tomomi, Murakami, Reiji, Sugizaki, Yoshiaki, Terao, Yasunobu, Sasahara, Katsuya
• Primary Examiner(s): Bollinger; David H
• Application Number:
  US12/634,439
• Publication Number:
  US 20100084808A1
• Time in Patent Office: 293 Days
• Field of Search: 271/189, 271/190, 271/191, 271/192, 271/177, 271/306, 271/178, 271/180, 271/218, 270/58.08, 270/58.11, 270/58.12, 270/58.14, 270/58.18, 399/410, 414/789.9, 414/790.3, 414/790.5
• US Class Current: 271/189
• CPC Class Codes: B42C 1/12 Machines for both collating or gathering and permanently attaching together the sheets or signatures
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2301/4222 Squaring-up piles
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2301/422615 from opposite part-support elements, e.g. operated simultaneously
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 31/3018 from opposite part-support elements, e.g. operated simultaneously
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 31/32 Auxiliary devices for receiving articles during removal of a completed pile

Abstract

A sheet post-process apparatus includes a waiting tray and a processing tray. The waiting tray is provided in the middle of a conveying path and makes standby sheets in the case where a post-process is required. The processing tray has a function which causes the sheets made standby on the waiting sheet to be dropped by self-weight. With this function, the processing tray receives the sheets moved to be dropped and the sheets conveyed from the conveying path without intervening the waiting tray, before carrying out the post-process. Sheet bundles formed on the processing tray are stacked on a storage tray by a sheet conveying mechanism after they have been post-processed.

Claims

1. A sheet loading method, comprising:

conveying sheets along a sheet conveying direction via a pair of waiting tray parts which support the sheets, the waiting tray parts arranged at an interval in a transverse direction orthogonal to the sheet conveying direction;

applying, via a strike down member, a downward force on the sheets to make the sheets bend and fall down from the pair of waiting tray parts;

retaining, via a distal end upper face retainer, a distal end upper face of the sheets on the pair of waiting tray parts when the interval widens from a first width smaller than a width of the sheets orthogonal to the sheet conveying direction for loading the sheets to a second width larger than the width of the sheets;

allocating a rotary shaft in association with the distal end face in the sheet conveying direction;

rotating the distal end upper face retainer and the strike down member coaxially with a rotary shaft, that is mounted coaxially therewith, when the sheet discharger is projected on a horizontal plane, a discharge direction of the sheet discharger being parallel to the sheet conveying direction;

receiving, via a receiving tray, the sheets fallen from the pair of waiting tray parts; and

discharging, via a sheet discharger, a bundle of sheets to which a post-process has been performed, from the receiving tray.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising aligning the sheets on the receiving tray to form an aligned bundle of sheets.

3. The method of claim 1, the post-process being performed on the aligned bundle of sheets.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising loading, via a storage tray, the bundle of sheets discharged by the sheet discharger, the storage tray being positioned downstream of the receiving tray in the sheet conveying direction.

5. The method of claim 1, the pair of waiting tray parts being formed so that a width of the interval formed between the pair of waiting tray parts is larger at a distal end side than a proximal end side in the sheet conveying direction.

6. The method of claim 1, the receiving tray having a rear end positioned upstream of a rear end of the pair of waiting tray parts in the sheet conveying direction.