Sheet post-processing apparatus, image forming apparatus, and image forming system

An image forming apparatus that transfers an image onto a recording medium and discharges the recording medium after fixing the image thereon to a sheet post-processing apparatus, wherein

• the sheet post-processing apparatus is attached to the image forming apparatus and includes
• a sheet stacking unit that receives a plurality of sheets from an upstream apparatus and stacks the sheets in a pile thereon;
• an aligning unit that aligns the sheets stacked on the sheet stacking unit in a direction orthogonal to a conveying direction of the sheets;
• a moving member that moves up the pile of the sheets aligned by the aligning unit;
• a discharging member that receives the pile from the moving member and scoops up the pile by supporting a bottom edge of the pile for discharging the pile out of the sheet stacking unit;
• and
• a discharging motor that drives the discharging member in an operation pattern that is selected, depending on a predetermined condition, from among a plurality of operation patterns in which the discharging motor can drive.

An image forming system comprising:

• a sheet post-processing apparatus that includes
• a sheet stacking unit that receives a plurality of sheets from an upstream apparatus and stacks the sheets in a pile thereon;
• an aligning unit that aligns the sheets stacked on the sheet stacking unit in a direction orthogonal to a conveying direction of the sheets;
• a moving member that moves up the pile of the sheets aligned by the aligning unit;
• a discharging member that receives the pile from the moving member and scoops up the pile by supporting a bottom edge of the pile for discharging the pile out of the sheet stacking unit;
• and
• a discharging motor that drives the discharging member in an operation pattern that is selected, depending on a predetermined condition, from among a plurality of operation patterns in which the discharging motor can drive;
• and
• an image forming apparatus that transfers an image onto a recording medium and discharges the recording medium after fixing the image thereon to the sheet post-processing apparatus, wherein
• the sheet post-processing apparatus is attached to the image forming apparatus.