# US 11,079,707 B2 · Medium processing apparatus > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,079,707 B2 - Document ID: US11079707B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/906,923 - Filed: 2020-06-19 - Published: 2020-12-31 - Granted: 2021-08-03 - Earliest claimed: 2019-06-26 - Assignees: Oki Electric Industry Co., Ltd. - Applicants: Oki Data Corporation - Inventors: Iori Kokubo; Kenichi Funatsu - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11079707B2 ## CPC - G03G 15/5016: {User-machine interface; Display panels; Control console} - G03G 15/6552: {Means for discharging uncollated sheet copy material, e.g. discharging rollers, exit trays} - G03G 21/1604: {Arrangement or disposition of the entire apparatus} - G03G: ELECTROGRAPHY; ELECTROPHOTOGRAPHY; MAGNETOGRAPHY ## Abstract A medium processing apparatus includes a processor that performs a process related to a medium. The medium processing apparatus includes a discharging section, an operation section, and an operation controller. The discharging section discharges the medium. The operation section is disposed downstream of the discharging section in a discharging direction and includes a touch sensor. The discharging direction is a direction in which the discharging section discharges the medium. The touch sensor detects an operation input. The operation controller limits, on the basis of size information, detection operation performed by the touch sensor. The size information indicates information related to a medium size of the medium. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A medium processing apparatus including a processor that performs a process related to a medium, the medium processing apparatus comprising: a discharging section that discharges the medium; an operation section that is disposed downstream of the discharging section in a discharging direction and includes a touch sensor, the discharging direction being a direction in which the discharging section discharges the medium, the touch sensor detecting an operation input; and an operation controller that limits, on a basis of size information, detection operation performed by the touch sensor, the size information indicating information related to a medium size of the medium. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The medium processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the operation controller has a detection mode and a limiting mode, the detection mode allowing the touch sensor to detect the operation input, the limiting mode limiting the detection operation, the detection mode and the limiting mode each being to be set as an operation mode of the operation section, and the operation controller sets the operation mode to the limiting mode in a case where the medium size based on the size information is greater than a predetermined size. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The medium processing apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising: a conveying section that conveys the medium along a conveyance path and thereby causes the medium to be discharged from the discharging section; and a medium sensor that is disposed on the conveyance path and detects the medium, wherein the operation controller determines, on a basis of a timing at which the medium sensor detects the medium, a timing to switch the operation mode from the detection mode to the limiting mode. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) The medium processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the operation controller sets detection sensitivity of the touch sensor to first detection sensitivity in the detection mode, and the operation controller sets the detection sensitivity of the touch sensor to second detection sensitivity in the limiting mode, the second detection sensitivity being lower than the first detection sensitivity. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The medium processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the operation controller switches the operation mode from the limiting mode to the detection mode on a basis of a result of the detection operation performed by the touch sensor in the limiting mode. ### Claim 6 (depends on 4) The medium processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the operation controller includes a timer that performs counting operation, and the operation controller causes the timer to start the counting operation when the processor ends the process, and switches the operation mode from the limiting mode to the detection mode after the timer ends the counting operation. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The medium processing apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising an environment sensor that performs detection of an environment, wherein the operation controller configures setting of the counting operation on a basis of a result of the detection performed by the environment sensor. ### Claim 8 (depends on 4) The medium processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the touch sensor compares a detected value and a threshold with each other and thereby performs the detection operation, the operation controller sets the threshold to a first threshold in the detection mode, and the operation controller sets the threshold to a second threshold in the limiting mode, the second threshold being higher than the first threshold. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The medium processing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the operation controller adjusts the second threshold on a basis of a result of the detection operation performed by the touch sensor in a case where the medium is discharged from the discharging section. ### Claim 10 (depends on 2) The medium processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the operation controller causes a process based on a result of the detection operation performed by the touch sensor to be effective in the detection mode, and the operation controller causes the process based on the result of the detection operation performed by the touch sensor to be ineffective in the limiting mode. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The medium processing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the touch sensor includes two or more sensors, and the operation controller switches the operation mode from the limiting mode to the detection mode in a case where the two or more sensors are turned on in a predetermined sensor order. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The medium processing apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the two or more sensors include a first sensor and a second sensor, the first sensor being to be turned on first in the predetermined sensor order, the second sensor being to be turned on last in the predetermined sensor order, and the first sensor is disposed downstream of the second sensor in the discharging direction in the operation section. ### Claim 13 (depends on 10) The medium processing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the touch sensor includes two or more first sensors and two or more second sensors, and the operation controller switches the operation mode from the limiting mode to the detection mode in a case where any of the second sensors is turned on after any of the first sensors is turned on. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The medium processing apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the two or more first sensors are disposed downstream of the two or more second sensors in the discharging direction in the operation section. ### Claim 15 (depends on 10) The medium processing apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising: a speaker; and a speaker controller that controls operation of the speaker, wherein the speaker controller stops, in the limiting mode, the operation of the speaker based on the result of the detection operation performed by the touch sensor. ### Claim 16 (depends on 1) The medium processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the size information includes information related to a length of the medium in the discharging direction. ### Claim 17 (depends on 1) The medium processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a conveying section that conveys the medium along a conveyance path and thereby causes the medium to be discharged from the discharging section; and a medium sensor that is disposed on the conveyance path and performs detection of the medium, wherein the operation controller generates the size information on a basis of a result of the detection performed by the medium sensor. ### Claim 18 (depends on 1) The medium processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a communication section that performs communication with an information processor and thereby receives the size information from the information processor. ### Claim 19 A medium processing apparatus including a processor that performs a process related to a medium, the medium processing apparatus comprising: a discharging section that discharges the medium; an operation section that includes a touch sensor, the touch sensor detecting an operation input; and an operation controller that controls operation of the operation section, wherein a portion or all of the operation section is covered with the medium in a case where a medium size of the medium discharged from the discharging section is greater than a predetermined size, and the operation controller limits the detection operation performed by the touch sensor in the case where the medium size is greater than the predetermined size. ### Claim 20 A medium processing apparatus including a processor that performs a process related to a medium, the medium processing apparatus comprising: a housing including a first end and a second end, the second end being opposed to the first end; a placing section that is disposed between the first end and the second end, the placing section being a section on which the medium subjected to the process is to be placed; a discharging section that is disposed between the first end and the placing section, the discharging section discharging the medium subjected to the process to the placing section; an operation section that is disposed between the placing section and the second end, the operation section including a touch sensor, the touch sensor detecting an operation input; and an operation controller that controls operation of the operation section, wherein a portion or all of the operation section overlaps the discharging section in a direction intersecting a direction from the first end toward the second end, and the operation controller limits, on a basis of size information, the detection operation performed by the touch sensor, the size information indicating information related to a medium size of the medium.