Sorter and stapler with rotating gate
AssigneeMita Industrial Co., Ltd.
InventorsYousuke Ohata, Yukio Hashimoto, Hidekazu Sakagami, Toshinori Nishimura, Tsuyoshi Nagao
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A sorter incorporating a stapler is an apparatus for sorting and stapling sheets discharged from an image forming apparatus. This sorter includes a plurality of vertically movable bins for storing the supplied sheets, a bin drive unit for conveying the bins, a stapler for stapling the sheets stored in the bins, a pair of lateral guides, and a lateral guide drive unit for moving the lateral guides. The lateral guides are movable in the width direction of the sheets in the bins and abut on both sides of stacks of the sheets to arrange them into widthwise adjustment, and then to move them into the stapling position of the stapler.
Claims32
A sorting apparatus for sorting and stapling sheets discharged from an image forming apparatus, comprising:
- a sorter having a plurality of sheet stores arranged vertically and sloping so that forward ends thereof, onto which the leading edges of sheets are placed, are higher than respective back ends thereof, onto which the trailing edges of sheets are placed;
- a transport path disposed between said image forming apparatus and said sorter, for transporting sheets to said sorter;
- a stapler provided adjacent to said back ends of said sheet storers, for stapling stacks of sheets stored in said sheet storers;
- means for discharging the stacks of sheets from said sheet storers along the slope of said sheet storers;
- a stacker for storing the stacks of sheets discharged by said sheet discharging means, said stacker being located beneath said transport path;
- and
- sheet stops provided at the back ends of said sheet storers and rotatable between a sheet stop position, in which said stops contact the trailing edges of the sheets, and a sheet discharge position, in which said stops allow the sheets to drop into said stacker, wherein said sheet discharging means rotates said sheet stops to discharge the stacks of sheet from said storers into said stacker.
A sorting apparatus for sorting and stapling sheets discharged from an image forming apparatus, comprising:
- a sorter having a plurality of sheet storers arranged vertically and sloping so that forward ends thereof, onto which the leading edges of sheet are placed, are higher than respective back ends thereof, onto which the trailing edges of sheets are placed;
- a transport path disposed between said image forming apparatus and said sorter, for transporting sheets to said sorter;
- a stapler provided adjacent to said back ends of said sheet storers, for stapling stacks of sheets stored in said sheet storers:
- means for discharging the stacks of sheets from said sheet storers along the slope of said sheet storers, which includes a position changing mechanism for changing the position of said sheet storers in order to locate said forward ends lower than said back ends, and thereby permitting the stacks of sheets in said sheet storers to be discharged from said forward ends thereof;
- and
- a stacker for storing the stacks of sheets discharged by said sheet discharging means.
A sorting apparatus for sorting and stapling sheets discharged from an image forming apparatus, comprising:
- a sorter having a plurality of sheet storers arranged vertically and sloping so that forward ends thereof, onto which the leading edges of sheets are placed, are higher than respective back ends thereof, onto which the trailing edges of sheets are placed;
- a transport path disposed between said image forming apparatus and said sorter, for transporting sheets to said sorter;
- a stapler provided adjacent to said back ends of said sheet storers, for stapling stacks of sheets stored in said sheet storers;
- means for discharging the stacks of sheets from said sheet storers along the slope of said sheet storers, which includes a discharge path provided in the wall of said sorter adjacent to said transport path and sloping in parallel with said sheet storers, and a scraper for scraping out a stack of sheets from each of said sheet storers into said discharge path by lifting said stack;
- and
- a stacker for storing the stacks of sheets discharged by said sheet discharging means.
A sorting apparatus for sorting and stapling sheets discharged from an image forming apparatus, comprising:
- a plurality of sheet storers vertically conveyable for storing sheets supplied from said image forming apparatus;
- means for driving said sheet storers;
- a stapler for stapling said sheets stored in said sheet storers;
- a pair of lateral guides movable in the sheet width direction in said sheet storers which abut on either sides of the sheets in order to arrange the sheets in the width direction and to move the stacks of sheets into the stapling position of said stapler;
- and
- means for driving said lateral guides.
A stapling apparatus for sorting and stapling sheets discharged from an image forming apparatus, comprising:
- a sheet storer for storing said sheets;
- means for stapling said sheets in said sheet storer,
- a pair of lateral guides movable in the sheet width direction in said sheet storer so as to abut either side of said sheets for properly arranging sheet stacks, and for moving said stack into the stapling position of said stapling means;
- and
- means for driving said lateral guides.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.