# US 11,299,365 B2 · Variable rotation of paddle for finisher

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- Number: US 11,299,365 B2
- Document ID: US11299365B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/046,604
- Filed: 2018-05-11
- Published: 2021-04-29
- Granted: 2022-04-12
- Earliest claimed: 2018-05-11
- Assignees: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
- Applicants: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
- Inventors: Stephen Thomas Rohman; Matthew Raisanen; Sundae Kim
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11299365B2

## CPC

- B65H 31/02: with stationary end support against which pile accumulates
- B65H 31/36: Auxiliary devices for contacting each article with a front stop as it is piled
- B65H 43/00: Use of control, checking, or safety devices, e.g. automatic devices comprising an element for sensing a variable
- B42C 1/125: {Sheet sorters combined with binding devices}
- B65H 2301/4212: of articles substantially horizontal
- B65H 2301/4213: of a limited number of articles, e.g. buffering, forming bundles
- B65H 2301/51256: Removing waviness or curl, smoothing
- B65H 2403/942: Bidirectional powered handling device
- B65H 2404/1114: Paddle wheel
- B65H 2405/11151: with surface inclined upwardly in transport direction
- B65H 2511/13: Thickness
- B65H 2511/15: Height, e.g. of stack
- B65H 2511/212: Rotary position
- B65H 2511/22: Distance
- B65H 2511/30: Numbers, e.g. of windings or rotations
- B65H 2515/10: Mass, e.g. mass flow rate; Weight; Inertia
- B65H 2801/27: Devices located downstream of office-type machines
- B65H: HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
- B42C: BOOKBINDING (cutting or perforating machines, devices or tools B26; folding sheets or webs B31F; ornamenting books B44)

## Abstract

An paddle apparatus for a finisher includes a rotatable shaft and a paddle coupled to the rotatable shaft. The paddle is rotatable in a forward direction to compile a recording medium toward an end of a register tray of the finisher, and is rotatable in a reverse direction to apply a downward force to the compiled recording medium. An amount that the paddle is rotated in the reverse direction can be varied based on a height of the compiled recording medium in the register tray.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A paddle apparatus for a finisher, comprising:
a rotatable shaft; and
a paddle coupled to the rotatable shaft,
the paddle rotatable in a forward direction to compile a recording medium toward an end of a register tray of the finisher, and
the paddle rotatable in a reverse direction, by a controlled variable amount determined based on a height of the compiled recording medium placed in the register tray, to apply a downward force to the compiled recording medium.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The paddle apparatus of claim 1, wherein
for a first height of the compiled recording medium, the paddle is rotated in the reverse direction a first amount, and
for a second height of the compiled recording medium, the paddle is rotated in the reverse direction a second amount, the second amount being less than the first amount when the second height is greater than the first height.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The paddle apparatus of claim 1, wherein for compiling the recording medium, the paddle is to be rotated in the forward direction to compile the recording medium toward the end of the register tray a plurality of times, and the paddle is to be rotated in the reverse direction less than the plurality of times.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The paddle apparatus of claim 1, wherein the paddle is rotatable in the forward direction to compile the recording medium toward the end of the register tray at a first predetermined speed, and the paddle is rotatable in the reverse direction at a second predetermined speed which is less than the first predetermined speed.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The paddle apparatus of claim 1, wherein during compiling the recording medium, a height of the recording medium when the paddle contacts the recording medium during a first rotation of the paddle in the forward direction to compile the recording medium toward the end of the register tray is less than the height of the recording medium when the paddle contacts the recording medium during rotation of the paddle in the reverse direction to apply the downward force to the compiled recording medium.

### Claim 6

A finisher, comprising:
an input port to receive a recording medium; and
a compiler section to receive the recording medium transported from the input port along a path within the finisher and to perform a finishing operation with respect to the recording medium, the compiler section including:
a register tray,
a rotatable shaft, and
a paddle coupled to the rotatable shaft,
the paddle rotatable in a forward direction to compile the recording medium toward an end of the register tray, and
the paddle rotatable in a reverse direction, by a controlled variable amount determined based on a height of the compiled recording medium placed in the register tray, to apply a downward force to the compiled recording medium.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The finisher of claim 6, further comprising a controller to determine the height of the compiled recording medium based on at least one of a number of recording media placed in the register tray, a thickness of the recording medium, or a type of the recording medium.

### Claim 8 (depends on 6)

The finisher of claim 6, further comprising a controller to determine an amount the paddle is to be rotated in the reverse direction based on at least one of a number of recording media placed in the register tray or a thickness of the recording medium.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The finisher of claim 8, further comprising:
an exit roller to receive the recording medium transported along a path from the input port and to discharge the recording medium to the compiler section;
an exit roller sensor to generate a signal when a recording medium is when transported from the exit roller to the compiler section; and
a controller to receive the signal generated by the exit roller sensor, to determine a number of recording media placed on the register tray based on the signal, and to determine an amount of rotation of the paddle in the reverse direction based on the number of recording media.

### Claim 10 (depends on 8)

The finisher of claim 8, further comprising:
a driving source to drive rotation of the rotatable shaft;
a machine readable storage to store a lookup table which includes a correspondence between the height of the compiled recording medium placed in the register tray and an amount of rotation of the paddle in the reverse direction; and
a controller to determine the amount of rotation of the paddle in the reverse direction by referencing the lookup table and to transmit a control signal to control the driving source to rotate the rotatable shaft in the reverse direction by the determined amount of rotation of the paddle.

### Claim 11 (depends on 6)

The finisher of claim 6, further comprising a controller to selectively rotate the paddle in the reverse direction during compiling of the recording medium based on at least one of a type of the recording medium or a thickness of the recording medium.

### Claim 12 (depends on 6)

The finisher of claim 6, further comprising:
a driving source to drive rotation of the rotatable shaft; and
a controller to control the driving source to rotate the rotatable shaft in the reverse direction by a first amount for a first height of the compiled recording medium, and to control the driving source to rotate the rotatable shaft in the reverse direction by a second amount for a second height of the compiled recording medium, the second amount being less than the first amount when the second height is greater than the first height.

### Claim 13 (depends on 6)

The finisher of claim 6, further comprising:
a sensor to determine a height of the compiled recording medium and to generate a signal indicating the height of the compiled recording medium; and
a controller to receive the signal generated by the sensor indicating the height of the compiled recording medium, and to determine an amount the paddle is to be rotated in the reverse direction based on the signal.

### Claim 14

A non-transitory machine readable storage comprising instructions that when executed cause at least one processor of a finisher to:
control a driving source of the finisher, based on job information relating to a recording medium to be processed by the finisher, to rotate a rotatable shaft in a compiling section of the finisher in a forward direction such that a paddle coupled to the rotatable shaft compiles the recording medium in a register tray of the finisher; and
control the driving source, based on the job information, to rotate the rotatable shaft in a reverse direction by a controlled variable amount based on a height of the compiled recording medium in the register tray, such that the paddle applies a downward force to the compiled recording medium.

### Claim 15 (depends on 14)

The non-transitory machine readable storage of claim 14, wherein the non-transitory machine readable storage further comprises instructions that when executed cause the at least one processor to:
determine the height of the compiled recording medium in the register tray based on the job information, the job information including at least one of a number of recording media to be processed by the finisher, a type of the recording medium, a thickness of the recording medium, or an amount of ink content on the recording medium.