US 6,356,735 B1 · Sheet transport device and an image-forming apparatus employing the sheet transport device

Abstract

To make it possible to transfer an image to an exact position even on a sheet of a maximum size having cutoff margins around a maximum image area of the image-forming module, the invention provides a sheet transport device (5) comprising a registration/transport member (2) provided in a sheet path upstream of a target location (P) for correctly positioning a sheet (1) in a sheet transport direction and transporting it toward the target location (P), and a sheet alignment mechanism (3) provided in the sheet path upstream of the target location (P) for moving the sheet (1) in a direction perpendicular to the sheet transport direction to align the sheet (1) to a reference position predefined for each set of sheet information. The invention also provides an image-forming apparatus incorporating the sheet transport device (5).

Claims16

Dependent claims

A sheet transport device comprising:

a sheet alignment mechanism, provided in a sheet path upstream of a target location, that moves a sheet in a direction perpendicular to a sheet transport direction to align the sheet to a reference position predefined for each set of sheet information including an initial side alignment and a reference position of at least 16.52 mm, 12.62 mm and 5.0 mm;
and
a registration/transport member fitted to the sheet alignment mechanism movably in the direction perpendicular to the sheet transport direction, provided in a sheet path upstream of a target location, that correctly positions a sheet in the sheet transport direction and transporting it toward the target location.

An image-forming apparatus comprising:

an image carrier which carries an image formed to its image transfer part;
a sheet transport device which transports a sheet to the image transfer part of the image carrier;
and
an image transfer element which transfers the image on the image carrier onto the sheet at the image transfer part;
the sheet transport device comprising:
a sheet alignment mechanism, provided in a sheet path upstream of the image transfer part, that moves the sheet in a direction perpendicular to a sheet transport direction to align the sheet to a reference position for each set of sheet information including an initial side alignment and a reference position of at least 16.52 mm 12.62, and 5.0 mm;
and
a registration/transport member fitted to the sheet alignment mechanism movably in the direction perpendicular to the sheet transport direction, provided in a sheet path upstream of the image transfer part, that correctly positions the sheet in the sheet transport direction and transporting it toward the image transfer part.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Sheet transport device and an image-forming apparatus employing the sheet transport device

Life of this patent

Sheet transport device and an image-forming apparatus employing the sheet transport device

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims16