US 7,461,837 B2Granted

Sheet discharging device and sheet postprocess apparatus using the same

OwnerTakashi Saito, Makoto Shimura +2inventors

InventorsTakashi Saito, Makoto Shimura, Masaya Takahashi, Yuji Hanawa

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Abstract

A sheet discharging device has a conveying weight for pressing a conveyed sheet to a caterpillar belt. The pressing force of the weight is increased both when the sheet is discharged from the caterpillar belt to a placement tray, and when the sheet is switched back and conveyed to the bottom of the caterpillar belt. The pressing force of the weight is increased concurrently with the driving of a paddle provided at an outlet of the placement tray. The pressing force is increased by a rubber piece provided on a paddle driving shaft that rotates out of phase with the paddle, so as to engage and press the conveying weight at a predetermined time. The device is capable of reliably conveying a wide variety of sheets onto a tray and transferring the conveyed sheets to a predetermined tray position.

Claims13

Dependent claims

A sheet postprocess apparatus comprising:

a sheet discharging device, said sheet discharging device comprising:
a sheet discharging port from which sheets are sequentially conveyed;
a process tray provided below the sheet discharging port and on which the sheets are stacked and supported;
and
a switchback transferring device provided between the sheet discharging port and the tray to convey each sheet from the sheet discharging port to the tray and then to reverse a conveying direction of the sheet on the tray to transfer the sheet to a predetermined position,
the switchback transferring device comprising:
a conveying belt provided between the sheet discharging port and the tray, the conveying belt having a tray-side end and a sheet discharging port-side end,
a roller cooperating with the conveying belt to transfer the sheet from the sheet discharging port onto the conveying belt,
a plate shape guide member located opposite a belt surface of the conveying belt at a downstream side of the roller in a sheet discharge direction to convey the sheet from the sheet discharging port to the tray, the plate shape guide member extending along the conveyer belt and comprising a tray-side end and a sheet discharging port-side end, and
a pressing force applicator for depressing the plate shape guide member toward the conveying belt,
the conveying belt and the guide member being arranged so that the tray-side end of each of the conveying belt and the guide member can pivot around its sheet discharging port-side end in a vertical direction;
a postprocessor located at the process tray to execute a postprocess on a sheet bundle;
a stacking tray located downstream of the process tray;
a paddle transfer device located above the process tray near the switchback transfer device to transfer the sheet on the process tray to a postprocess position;
and
a driver for driving the paddle transfer device, the pressing force applicator being actuated by the paddle transfer device.

13 more elements

A sheet postprocess apparatus comprising:

a sheet discharging device comprising:
a sheet discharging port from which sheets are sequentially conveyed;
a process tray provided below the sheet discharging port and on which the sheets are stacked and supported;
and a switchback transferring device provided between the sheet discharging port and the tray to convey each sheet from the sheet discharging port to the tray and then to reverse a conveying direction of the sheet on the tray to transfer the sheet to a predetermined position, the switchback transferring device comprising:
a conveying belt provided between the sheet discharging port and the tray, the conveying belt having a tray-side end and a sheet discharging port-side end, and a guide member located opposite a belt surface of the conveying belt to convey the sheet from the sheet discharging port of the conveying belt to the tray, the guide member having a tray-side end and a sheet discharging port-side end, and a pressing force applicator for depressing the guide member toward the conveying belt, wherein the conveying belt and the guide member are arranged so that the tray-side end of each of the conveying belt and the guide member can pivot around its sheet discharging port-side end in a vertical direction;
a postprocessor located at the process tray to execute a postprocess on a sheet bundle;
a stacking tray located downstream of the process tray;
a paddle transfer device located above the process tray near the switchback transfer device to transfer the sheet on the process tray to the postprocess position;
and
a driver for driving the paddle transfer device, the pressing force applicator being actuated by the paddle transfer device,
wherein the paddle transfer device has a first postprocess time for applying a conveying force to the sheet on the process tray, which is different from a second postprocess time at which the pressing force applicator applies a pressing force to the guide member.

8 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 11/373,262Filed 13 Mar 2006
Priority: JP 2005-07347015 Mar 2005
Published: US 2006/0208411 A121 Sep 2006
Granted: 9 Dec 2008
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification8 codes

B42C 1/12
Collating or gathering sheets combined with processes for permanently attaching together sheets or signatures or for interposing inserts: machines…
B65H 29/14
By means of the nip between two, or between two sets of, moving tapes or bands or rollers: and introducing into a pile
B65H 31/36
Apparatus for squaring-up piled articles: auxiliary devices for contacting each article with a front stop as it is piled
B65H 2404/268
Particular arrangement of belt, or belts: arrangement of belts facing a transport surface, e.g. contact glass in copy machine