Back to results
US 5,742,890 AGranted
Discharged sheet stacking apparatus having a plurality of trays with spacing members therebetween
AssigneeCanon Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorsKatsuhito Kato, Noriyoshi Ueda
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A discharged sheet stacking apparatus is provided with a plurality of trays aligned to stack discharged sheets thereon, and a drive member for moving the trays in the alignment direction. Between at least two of the plural trays, a spacer member moved in the alignment direction by the drive device in the same manner as the trays is interposed to widen the space between the trays. The space between the trays can be arbitrarily changed by the spacer member.
Claims24
A discharged sheet stacking apparatus for sorting and stacking discharged sheets, comprising:
- a plurality of trays, each of said trays having a trunnion and being aligned in an alignment direction to stack thereon the discharged sheets;
- rotation means, said rotation means having a spiral cam to be engaged with said trunnions and rotating to move each of said trays in the alignment direction through said trunnions;
- and
- a dummy trunnion, said dummy trunnion being interposed between at least two of said trunnions to widen the space between at least two of said trays more than spaces between other trays and engaging with said spiral cam of said rotation means to move in the alignment direction in the same manner as said trunnions.
1 more element
An image forming apparatus, comprising:
- image forming means for forming an image on a sheet in accordance with one of a copy mode, a facsimile mode and a print mode, and for discharging the sheet on which the image has been formed;
- a plurality of trays having a space between each adjacent pair of trays and aligned in an alignment direction to stack thereon the discharged sheets;
- a spacer member interposed between at least two of said plurality of trays to widen the space between said two trays;
- and
- drive means for moving said trays in the alignment direction, wherein said drive means moves said spacer member in the alignment direction to widen the space between said trays,
- wherein the sheets are discharged into said trays in accordance with the mode in which the image is formed.
3 more elements
An image forming apparatus, comprising:
- image forming means for forming an image on a sheet in accordance with one of a copy mode, a facsimile mode and a print mode, and for discharging the sheet on which the image has been formed;
- a plurality of trays having a space between each adjacent pair of trays and aligned in an alignment direction to stack thereon the discharged sheets;
- a spacer member interposed between at least two of said plurality of trays to widen the space between said two trays;
- and
- drive means for moving said trays in the alignment direction, wherein said drive means moves said spacer member in the alignment direction to widen the space between said trays,
- wherein the sheets are discharged into said trays in accordance with the mode and said trays are ready for a sort mode.
3 more elements
An image forming apparatus, comprising:
- image forming means for forming an image on a sheet and discharging the sheet;
- a discharged sheet stacking unit for sorting and stacking discharged sheets on which images are formed, said discharged sheet stacking unit including:
- a plurality of trays, each of said trays having a trunnion and being aligned in an alignment direction to stack thereon the discharged sheets;
- rotation means, said rotation means having a spiral cam engaged with each of said trunnions and rotating to move each of said trays in the alignment direction through said trunnions;
- and
- a dummy trunnion, said dummy trunnion being interposed between at least two of the trunnions to widen a space between at least two of said trays more than spaces between other trays and engaging with said spiral cam of said rotation means to move in the alignment direction in the same manner as said trunnions.
3 more elements
A discharged sheet stacking apparatus for sorting and stacking discharged sheets, comprising:
- a plurality of trays, each of said trays having a trunnion and being aligned in an alignment direction to stack thereon the discharged sheets;
- rotation means, said rotation means having a spiral cam to be engaged with said trunnions and rotating to move each of said trays in the alignment direction through said trunnions;
- and
- a spacer trunnion, said spacer trunnion being interposed between at least two of said trunnions to widen the space between at least two of said trays and engaging with said spiral cam of said rotation means to move in the alignment direction in the same manner as said trunnions.
1 more element
An image forming apparatus, comprising:
- image forming means for forming an image on a sheet in accordance with one of a plurality of modes, and for discharging the sheet on which the image has been formed;
- a plurality of trays having a space between each adjacent pair of trays and aligned in an alignment direction to stack thereon the discharged sheets;
- a spacer member interposed between at least two of said plurality of trays to widen the space between said two trays;
- and
- drive means for moving said trays in the alignment direction, wherein said drive means moves said spacer member in the alignment direction to widen the space between said trays, and
- wherein the sheets are discharged into said trays in accordance with the mode in which the image is formed.
3 more elements
An image forming apparatus, comprising:
- image forming means for forming an image on a sheet and discharging the sheet;
- and
- a discharged sheet stacking unit for sorting and stacking discharged sheets on which images are formed, said discharged sheet stacking unit including:
- a plurality of trays, each of said trays having a trunnion and being aligned in an alignment direction to stack thereon the discharged sheets;
- rotation means, said rotation means having a spiral cam engaged with each of said trunnions and rotating to move each of said trays in the alignment direction through said trunnions;
- and
- a spacer trunnion, said spacer trunnion being interposed between at least two of the trunnions to widen a space between at least two of said trays and engaging with said spiral cam of said rotation means to move in the alignment direction in the same manner as said trunnions.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.