# US 10,310,435 B2 · Sheet post-processing apparatus

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- Number: US 10,310,435 B2
- Document ID: US10310435B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 15/437,154
- Filed: 2017-02-20
- Published: 2017-11-09
- Granted: 2019-06-04
- Earliest claimed: 2016-05-06
- Assignees: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba; Toshiba Tec Kabushiki Kaisha
- Applicants: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba; Toshiba Tec Kabushiki Kaisha
- Inventors: Hiroyuki Taki
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10310435B2

## CPC

- G03G 15/6529: {Transporting (G03G15/6555 takes precedence)}
- B65H 29/20: by contact with rotating friction members, e.g. rollers, brushes, or cylinders {(with suction rollers B65H29/243)}
- B65H 31/26: Auxiliary devices for retaining articles in the pile
- B65H 31/36: Auxiliary devices for contacting each article with a front stop as it is piled
- 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)
- G03G 15/6538: {Devices for collating sheet copy material, e.g. sorters, control, copies in staples form}
- B65H 2301/51611: involving at least a binding element traversing the handled material, e.g. staple
- B65H 2404/1114: Paddle wheel
- B65H 2511/212: Rotary position
- B65H 2513/52: Age; Duration; Life time or chronology of event
- B65H 2515/10: Mass, e.g. mass flow rate; Weight; Inertia
- B65H 2801/27: Devices located downstream of office-type machines
- G03G: ELECTROGRAPHY; ELECTROPHOTOGRAPHY; MAGNETOGRAPHY
- B65H: HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES

## Abstract

According to an embodiment, a sheet post-processing apparatus according to the embodiment includes a paddle member and a controller. The paddle member rotates around a rotating shaft, presses a plurality of sheets held on a processing tray against a stopper and aligns ends of the sheets in a sheet transport direction. After the ends of the sheets in the sheet transport direction are aligned, the controller further rotates the paddle member, and stops rotation of the paddle member in a state that the paddle member comes in contact with the sheets held on the processing tray.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A sheet post-processing apparatus, comprising:
a transport roller configured to transport sheets;
a processing tray configured to hold the sheets transported by the transport roller;
a stopper that is disposed on an upstream side of the processing tray in a sheet transport direction;
a paddle member having a first and a second paddle configured to rotate around a rotating shaft, the rotating shaft being disposed in a sheet width direction of the sheets held on the processing tray, the sheet width direction being orthogonal to the sheet transport direction, the first and the second paddle of the rotating paddle member configured to alternately press the sheets held on the processing tray against the stopper and align ends of the sheets misaligned in the sheet transport direction, the second paddle having a length shorter than the first paddle; and
a controller configured to
stop rotation of the paddle member in a state that the second paddle of the paddle member comes in contact with the sheets held on the processing tray, and
drive the transport roller to transport subsequent sheets to the processing tray.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The sheet post-processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein
the controller is configured to:
rotate the paddle member from a standby position where transport of the sheets is not hindered when the sheets are transported to the processing tray, and
control the paddle member such that the first paddle comes in contact with the sheets and applies a force on the sheets to move toward the processing tray.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The sheet post-processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein
the controller is configured to:
further rotate the paddle member,
control the paddle member such that the first paddle presses the sheets against the stopper and aligns the ends of the sheets misaligned in the sheet transport direction.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The sheet post-processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein
after the ends of the sheets misaligned in the sheet transport direction are aligned, the controller is configured to stop the rotation of the paddle member at a first stop position where the first and the second paddle do not come in contact with the sheets held on the processing tray.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The sheet post-processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein
the controller is configured to:
after the controller stops the rotation of the paddle member at the first stop position and a predetermined time elapses, rotate again the paddle member, and
control the paddle member such that the second paddle presses the sheets against the stopper and aligns again the ends of the sheets misaligned in the sheet transport direction.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The sheet post-processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein
the controller is configured to:
rotate the paddle member from the first stop position by a predetermined angle, and then stops the rotation of the paddle member at a second stop position, and
control the paddle member to press the sheets in a state that the second paddle of the paddle member is in contact with the sheets held on the processing tray at the second stop position.

### Claim 7

A sheet post-processing apparatus, comprising:
a transport roller configured to transport sheets;
a processing tray configured to hold the sheets transported by the transport roller;
a stopper that is disposed on an upstream side of the processing tray in a sheet transport direction;
a paddle member having a first and a second paddle configured to rotate around a rotating shaft, the rotating shaft being extended in a sheet width direction of the sheets held on the processing tray, the sheet width direction being orthogonal to the sheet transport direction, the first and the second paddle of the rotating paddle member configured to alternately align ends of the sheets in the sheet transport direction where the sheets held on the processing tray come in contact with the stopper, the second paddle having a length shorter than the first paddle;
a stapler configured to execute stapling processing on the sheets on the processing tray; and
a controller configured to
stop rotation of the paddle member in a state that the second paddle of the paddle member comes in contact with the sheets on the processing tray, and
operate the stapler to execute the stapling processing on the sheets that are in contact with the paddle member.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The sheet post-processing apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising:
a lateral alignment member provided for the processing tray, the lateral alignment member including two portions, a predetermined distance being provided between the two portions, the two portions facing each other and coming in contact with the sheets on the processing tray, the lateral alignment member aligning the ends of the sheets in the sheet width direction orthogonal to the sheet transport direction, wherein
after the lateral alignment member aligns the ends of the sheets in the sheet width direction, the controller stops the rotation of the paddle member in a state that the second paddle of the paddle member is in contact with the sheets held on the processing tray.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The sheet post-processing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein
the lateral alignment member includes a first alignment plate and a second alignment plate that are movable in the sheet width direction, and
after the second paddle of the paddle member comes in contact with the sheet held on the processing tray, the controller moves the first alignment plate and the second alignment plate in separating directions.