Stapling unit, sheet finishing apparatus, and stapling method
AssigneesKabushiki Kaisha Toshiba, Toshiba Tec Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorYasunobu Terao
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Certain embodiments provide a stapling unit including a stapler, a processing tray, a stapler moving mechanism, a sensor configured to scan sheets in a sheet width direction, and a controller configured to drive the stapler. The controller measures sheet width of the sheets according to an output of the sensor. The controller calculates a center position between other two sheet edges each orthogonal to a sheet edge where the stapler drives staples into stapling positions. The controller allocates the stapling positions in the two places with reference to the center position. The controller moves the stapler moving mechanism to the stapling positions.
Claims20
A stapling unit comprising:
- a stapler configured to drive staples into sheets respectively in stapling positions in two places spaced apart from each other near a center of a sheet edge in a sheet supply direction;
- a processing tray configured to supply the sheets manually inserted to the stapler, a bundle of the sheets stapled by the stapler being placed on the processing tray;
- a stapler moving mechanism configured to move the stapler in a sheet width direction orthogonal to a direction of the sheet supply;
- a sensor configured to scan the sheets in the sheet width direction;
- and
- a controller configured to measure sheet width of the sheets according to an output of the sensor, calculate a center position between other two sheet edges each orthogonal to the sheet edge, allocate the stapling positions in the two places with reference to the center position, move the stapler moving mechanism to the stapling positions, and drive the stapler.
A sheet finishing apparatus comprising:
- a main body having an opening into which a user manually inserts sheets;
- a stapler configured to drive staples into the sheets respectively in stapling positions in two places spaced apart from each other near a center of a sheet edge in a direction in which the sheets are supplied;
- a processing tray configured to supply the sheets inserted from the opening to the stapler, a bundle of the sheets stapled by the stapler being placed on the processing tray;
- a stapler moving mechanism configured to move the stapler in a sheet width direction orthogonal to a sheet supply direction from the processing tray to the stapler;
- a sensor configured to scan the sheets in the sheet width direction;
- a controller configured to measure sheet width of the sheets according to an output of the sensor, calculate a center position between other two sheet edges each orthogonal to the sheet edge, allocate the stapling positions in the two places with reference to the center position, move the stapler moving mechanism to the stapling positions, and drive the stapler;
- and
- a conveying mechanism configured to convey a bundle of the sheets stapled by the stapler according to information concerning the stapling positions from the processing tray to the opening.
A stapling method, comprising:
- aligning, on a processing tray, sheets manually inserted;
- moving a sensor configured to scan the sheets and a stapler in a sheet width direction orthogonal to a sheet supply direction and measuring sheet width of the sheets;
- calculating a center position between two sheet ends each parallel to the sheet supply direction and allocating stapling positions in two places spaced apart from each other with respect to the center position;
- and
- moving the stapler to the stapling positions in the two places of the sheets and stapling the sheets.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.