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US 5,685,540 AGranted
Document sorter having multiple moving sorting trays
AssigneeNisca Corporation
InventorsMisao Kobayashi, Makoto Shimura
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A sorter has a plurality of sorting tray to receive copied sheets. The sorting trays are moved vertically upon rotation of screw rods. The screw rod has a spiral cam groove with a predetermined cam profile formed on the outer periphery thereof. Cam followers of the sorting tray is engaged with the spiral cam groove. The cam groove is formed such that a distance between adjacent sorting trays in the vertical direction the screw rod is stopped at a first rotational position is different from that when the screw rod is stopped at a second rotational position.
Claims19
A sorter which comprises:
- a plurality of sorting trays, to which at least one sheet is transferred from a sheet processor, which are movable and arranged in a vertical direction, and each of which includes at least one cam follower;
- and
- drive means for moving the sorting trays in the vertical direction, including a drive source and at least one screw rod which extends in the vertical direction and is rotated about the vertical central axis thereof by said driving source, said screw rod having a spiral cam groove with a predetermined cam profile formed off the outer periphery thereof and said cam follower of each sorting tray being engaged with said spiral cam groove,
- wherein at least first and second rotational positions of said screw rod are defined in every one rotation thereof, and said spiral cam groove is formed such that a distance between adjacent sorting trays in the vertical direction when said screw rod is stopped at said first rotational position is different from that when said screw rod is stopped at said second rotational position.
1 more element
A sorter which comprises:
- a plurality of sorting trays, to which at least one sheet is supplied from a sheet processor, which are movable and arranged in a vertical direction, and each of which includes at least one cam follower;
- at least one screw rod which extends in the vertical direction and is rotatable about the vertical central axis thereof, said screw rod having a spiral cam groove with a predetermined cam profile formed on the outer periphery thereof and said cam follower of each sorting tray being engaged with said spiral cam groove;
- each of said sorting trays being moved in the vertical direction upon rotation of said screw rod through the engagement of said cam follower with said spiral cam groove;
- and
- control means for controlling said rotation of the screw rod in such a manner that first and second rotational positions corresponding to sheet receiving mode and sheet take-out mode, respectively are defined in every one rotation of said screw rod, said first and second rotational positions being set to be different from each other in the circumferential direction of the screw rod.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.