Sheet handling device for continually fed sheets which are aligned and moved from first to second storage locations

Information

  • Patent Grant
  • 6168154
  • Patent Number
    6,168,154
  • Date Filed
    Tuesday, May 26, 1998
    26 years ago
  • Date Issued
    Tuesday, January 2, 2001
    23 years ago
Abstract
A sheet handling device for accommodating, aligning and storing sheets fed from an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine is provided with front-side and rear-side aligning members for pressing the sheets stacked on a first storage means between the aligning members to stably and exactly align the stacked sheets. The front side aligning member is movable vertically or rotatable to open a sheet transferring passage so as to enable a sheet aligning mechanism in the sheet handling device to be operated in a small space, and thus, made compact. While transferring the aligned sheets from the first storage means to a second storage means, the aligned sheets are stably held by the front-side aligning member being in soft contact with the upper surface of the sheets being transferred.
Description




BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION




1. Field of the Invention




This invention relates to a sheet handling device for stably accommodating, aligning and storing sheets fed from an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine.




2. Description of the Prior Art




Sheet handling devices for automatically sorting, binding and storing recorded sheets continuously discharged from an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, printer, and facsimile have been used.




A conventional sheet handling device of this type has been known, in which sheets continuously fed from the image forming apparatus are sorted and distributed into bin trays to form sheaves of sheets in the bin trays, and then, the sheaves of sheets are bound with staples as occasion calls (Japanese Patent Application Public Disclosure No. 4-290800(A)). There has been known another sheet handling device having a sheet processing section for binding sheets continuously fed from the image forming apparatus, and a sheet storing section for stacking the bound sheets, which sections are placed side by side (Japanese Patent Application Public Disclosure No. 6-9142(A)).




In both the known sheet handling devices, the sheets which are continuously sent from the image forming apparatus into the sheet processing section and stacked in a sheaf undergo post-processing such as stapling and punching. Prior to carrying out the post-processing, the sheets are aligned to true up the edges thereof.




The sheets fed from the image forming apparatus are first stacked on a stacking tray or bin tray. The stacking tray inclines one side as seen in the aforesaid prior art references, so that the sheets placed thereon spontaneously slide down the inclined plane of the stacking tray until striking against a transferring reference surface defined at the lowermost of the inclined plane of the stacking tray, consequently to true up the edges of the sheets.




That is, in the most conventional sheet handling devices, the sheets are automatically aligned in one direction, but must be forcibly aligned by using some means in the direction perpendicular to that in which the sheets are automatically aligned. For that purpose, the aforementioned prior art device has sheet aligning levers disposed one before and behind the sheet stacking tray relative to a sheet discharging direction, which are rockingly rotatable in parallel to the surface of the stacking tray. The sheets on the stacking tray are pinched between the two sheet aligning levers so as to be aligned in the sheet discharging direction.




As a result, a sheet aligning mechanism having the sheet aligning levers become inevitably large in size because it calls for a large space for permitting the two sheet aligning levers to move rockingly. Furthermore, the sheet aligning mechanism having the sheet aligning levers suffers a disadvantage such that it necessitates a high-power driving system capable of producing large rotating torque for imparting sufficient pinching force to the aligning levers so as to exactly align the sheets between the levers. Besides, there is an inconvenient possibility that the sheet aligning levers cause the sheets to be stacked unevenly when parting from the sheets.




In addition, when the sheets aligned are transferred before being bound with a staple, the sheets are unlikely to be exactly heaped up. However, the conventional sheet aligning mechanism is not provided with means for preventing the sheets from straggling, thus disadvantageously causing jamming of the sheets being transferred or failure to staple the sheets.




OBJECT OF THE INVENTION




An object of the present invention is to provide a sheet handling device capable of securely and effectively aligning sheets fed from an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine so as to true up the edges of the sheets exactly.




Another object of the present invention is to provide a sheet handling device capable of effectively aligning sheets fed from an image forming apparatus into a sheaf of sheets and reliably sending out the sheaf of sheets without disturbing or stacking unevenly the sheets thus aligned.




Still another object of the invention is to provide a sheet handling device having the outstanding ability to securely and effectively align the given sheets, which is relatively simple in structure and has components operable in a narrow space, thus enabling the device to be made small in size.




Yet another object of the invention is to provide a useful sheet handling device which can be applied to or incorporated into not only an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, facsimile and printer, but also all sorts of apparatuses handling a sheet or sheets.




SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION




To attain the objects described above according to this invention, there is provided a sheet handling device comprising a first storage means for storing one or more sheets, means for transferring the sheets stored in the first storage means, a second storage means for storing the sheets transferred from the first storage means by the transferring means, sheet aligning means to be brought into collision with the leading edges of the sheets relative to the sheet discharging direction in which the sheets are transferred so as to align the sheets stacked on the first storage means, thus truing up the leading edges of the sheets, and moving means for causing the sheet aligning means to be retracted from its sheet aligning position at which the sheets are aligned by the sheet aligning means in the direction perpendicular to the upper surface of the sheets being transferred.




A sheet transferring passage along which the sheets are sent out from the first storage means is formed in the sheet discharging direction perpendicular to a sheet introducing direction in which the sheets are fed from the image forming apparatus to the first storage means. The second storage means is placed in juxtaposition to the first storage means relative to the sheet discharging direction, so that the sheets aligned on the first storage means are transferred to the second storage means in the sheet discharging direction.




The sheet aligning means comprises a rear-side aligning member placed behind the first storage means relative to the sheet discharging direction, and a front-side aligning member placed before the first storage means and opposed to the rear-side aligning member.




The front-side aligning member retractably confronting the front end of the first storage means so as to open and close the sheet transferring passage defined in the first storage means. In order to selectively allow and block the passage of the sheets through the front-side aligning member, the front-side aligning member may be moved vertically or rotated forwardly in the sheet discharging direction.




When a prescribed number of sheets stacked on the first storage means are aligned in the sheet discharging direction, the front-side aligning member assumes its lower aligning position, and then, the rear-side aligning member is moved forward in the sheet discharging direction. Consequently, the sheets on the first storage means are pressed against the front-side aligning member by the rear-side aligning member to be aligned in the sheet discharging direction.




After the sheets are pinched and pressed between the front-side aligning member and the rear-side aligning member so as to be aligned, they are held by the transferring means, moving the front-side aligning member out of the sheet transferring passage and returning the rear-side aligning member to its home position. The sheets thus released from the front-side and rear-side aligning members are sent out by the sheet transferring means in the sheet discharging direction to the second storage means.




In the process of transferring the sheets from the first storage means to the second storage means, the sheets are stapled or punched.




In the case of using the front-side aligning member movably vertically, the front-side aligning member may be brought in soft contact with the upper surface of the sheets being transferred from the first storage means to the second storage means, so that the sheets passing under the front-side aligning member is softly pressed down by the front-side aligning member so as to be stably transferred to the second storage means without straggling.




To withdraw the front-side aligning member from the sheet transferring passage after pinching the sheets between itself and the rear-side aligning member to align the sheets, the front-side aligning member may be moved upward at an angle in the sheet discharging direction so as not to come in contact with the edges of the sheets aligned between the front-side and rear-side aligning members. As a result, when the front-side aligning member which has pressed the sheets in conjunction with the rear-side aligning member is withdrawn from the sheet transferring passage, it is not rubbed against the leading edges of the sheets on the first storage means, so that the sheets can be sent onto the second storage means, while being remained in its stably aligned state without disturbing the leading edges of the sheets.




The front-side aligning member may be rotatably supported at the vicinity of the front end portion of the first storage means so as to rotate downward in the sheet discharging direction to retreat from the sheet transferring passage.




Other objects and features of the present invention will be hereinafter explained in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.











BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS





FIG. 1

is a partially cutaway perspective view showing one embodiment of a sheet handling device according to this invention.





FIG. 2

is a schematic plan section showing the device of FIG.


1


.





FIG. 3

is a schematic front section taken along the line III—III in FIG.


2


.





FIG. 4

is a schematic front section taken along the line IV—IV in FIG.


2


.





FIG. 5

is a perspective view showing a first embodiment of a front-side aligning member of a sheet aligning mechanism in this invention.





FIG. 6A

is a front view showing the aligning operation of the front-side aligning member of FIG.


5


.





FIG. 6B

is a front view showing the retreating operation of the front-side aligning member of FIG.


5


.




FIG.


7


A through

FIG. 7C

are schematic perspective views explanatory of one operating mode of the front-side aligning member of FIG.


5


.




FIG.


8


A and

FIG. 8B

are schematic front views showing the manner in which the front-side aligning member comes in contact with sheets.





FIG. 9

is a schematic front view showing another operating mode of the front-side aligning member.




FIG.


10


A and

FIG. 10B

are front and side sectional views showing a second embodiment of the front-side aligning member in this invention.





FIG. 11

is a schematic side view showing a third embodiment of the front-side aligning member.





FIG. 12

is a schematic side view showing a fourth embodiment of the front-side aligning member.





FIG. 13

is a schematic side view showing a fifth embodiment of the front-side aligning member.





FIG. 14

is a schematic side view showing a sixth embodiment of the front-side aligning member.




FIG.


15


A and FIG.


15




b


are schematic side views showing a seventh embodiment of the front-side aligning member.




FIG.


16


A and FIG.


16




b


are schematic side views showing an eighth embodiment of the front-side aligning member.











DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS




This invention pertains to a sheet handling device applicable to an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine and having functions of aligning sheets continuously fed from the image forming apparatus and stapling or punching and storing the sheets with high efficiency. One embodiment of the sheet handling device according to this invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.




The sheet handling device


1


of this invention is united with the image forming apparatus M in use in such a state that a sheet inlet port


10




a


formed in a housing


10


is joined to a sheet outlet port m of the image forming apparatus M. In addition to the copying machine touched upon above, a printer and facsimile are typical of the image forming apparatus, but the type of the apparatus to which this invention is applied is not specifically limited thereto. This invention can be applied to various sorts of sheet handling devices including a printing press, bookbinding device and so on.




The sheet handling device


1


of this embodiment according to the invention comprises a sheet processing section


20


in which one or more sheets s (s1, s2) fed from the image forming apparatus M are accommodated, aligned and bound into a sheaf of sheets Sb, and a sheet storing section


40


for storing one or more sheaves of sheets produced by the sheet processing section


20


. The sheet processing section


20


is placed beside the sheet outlet port m of the image forming apparatus M relative to a sheet introducing direction d1. The sheet storing section


40


is juxtaposed with the sheet processing section


20


relative to a sheet discharging direction d2 across to the sheet introducing direction d1.




A sheet transferring passage Px extends over the sheet processing section


20


and the sheet storing section


40


in the sheet discharging direction d2.




There is formed an inclined top tray


12


on the upper surface of the housing


10


of the sheet processing section


20


. When there is no call for subjecting the sheet fed from the image forming apparatus to any post-processing, the sheet s1 is sent from the sheet inlet port


10




a


to the top tray


12


through a sheet passage p1.




In the case of aligning and binding sheets continuously fed from the image forming apparatus M, the sheet s2 is sent to the sheet processing section


20


through a sheet passage p2. At a diverging point of the sheet passages p1 and p2, a switching flap


14


is disposed so as to send the sheet fed from the image forming apparatus M selectively to the top tray


12


via the sheet passage p1 or the sheet processing section


20


via the sheet passage p2 in accordance with the operation mode prescribed at the image forming apparatus. Reference symbols r1 to r4 denote feed rollers mounted on the sheet passage extending from the sheet inlet port


10


.




The sheet processing section


20


includes a first storage means


21


for stacking sheets fed from the image forming apparatus M thereon, a rear-side aligning member


23


for pushing the sheets on the first storage means


21


in the sheet discharging direction d2 so as to align the sheets, a front-side aligning member


24


movable vertically ahead of the rear-side aligning member


23


relative to the sheet discharging direction d2, a sheet transferring means


25


for sending out the sheets aligned on the first storage means


21


along the first storage means, and stapling means


26


for binding the margin part of the sheaf of sheets on the first storage means


21


with one or more staples. In particular, the rear-side aligning member


23


and the front-side aligning member


24


constitute a sheet aligning mechanism Tm.




The first storage means


21


in this embodiment is a stacking tray for accommodating thereon the sheets fed from the image forming apparatus, which is located beneath an exit of the sheet passage p2 and inclined upward in the sheet introducing direction d1. The first storage means


21


has a sheet transferring reference surface


21




a


which stands upright relative to the surface of the stacking tray at the lowermost rear end of the stacking tray. Thus, a sheet fed from the image forming apparatus onto the first storage means spontaneously slides down the inclined surface of the first storage means in the direction opposite to the sheet introducing direction until striking against the sheet transferring reference surface


21




a


, consequently to align the sheets with the sheet transferring reference surface.




The front-side aligning member


24


disposed at the front end of the first storage means


21


relative to the sheet discharging direction d2 is moved up and down so as to selectively block the passage of the sheaf of sheets Sb.




The rear-side aligning member comprises an aligning operation member


23




a


which stands upright relative to the first storage means


21


and is movable to and fro in the sheet discharging direction p2 along the surface of the first storage means


21


, a pair of guide rails


23




b


arranged under the stacking tray of the first storage means


21


and extending in the sheet discharging direction p2, rollers


23




c


movable along the guide rails


23




b


, a member


23




d


for connecting the rollers


23




c


with the aligning operation member


23




a


, and means


23




e


for driving the rollers


23




c


to move the aligning operation member to and fro along the guide rails


23




b.






The first storage means


21


has a guide slot


21




b


extending in the sheet discharging direction d1 so as to guide the aforementioned connecting member


23




d


in one direction. By operating the driving means


23




e


which generally comprises an endless belt and pulleys, the rollers


23




c


are movable along the guide rails


23




b


to move the aligning operation member


23




a


to and fro in the sheet discharging direction d2.




The front-side aligning member


24


in this embodiment is formed of a shutter shaped in a substantial H-shaped as shown in FIG.


5


and

FIGS. 6A and 6B

, and has guide slots


24




a


receiving guide pins


28




a


planted on a supporting frame


28


retained by the device body, thus being supported movably vertically by the supporting frame


28


.




The front-side aligning member


24


is withdrawn from the sheet transferring passage Px by actuating means


30


which comprises a solenoid


31


having a reciprocating rod


31




a


, a work member


32


connected to the reciprocating rod


31




a


, and a pair of rocking members


33


each movable rockingly about a rotation pin


28




b


with the vertical movement of the work member


32


.




The work member


32


of the solenoid


31


is provided on its both sides with work pins


32




a


fitted respectively into work slots


33




a


formed in the rocking members


33


. The rocking members


33


each have a slide slot


33




b


receiving a slide pin


24




b


planted on the shutter member


24


.




Thus, when the solenoid


31


is actuated to stick the reciprocating rod


31




a


, the rocking members


33


move downward while rotating around the rotation pins


28




b


as shown in FIG.


6


A. Consequently, the shutter member


24


assumes its lower aligning position L


1


to close the sheet transferring passage Px formed on the upper surface of the first storage means


21


.




Conversely, when the rocking members


33


rotate upward around the rotation pins


28




b


with the upward movement of the reciprocating rod


31




a


of the solenoid


31


as shown in

FIG. 6B

, the shutter member


24


moves upward to its retreating position L


2


apart from the sheet transferring passage Px.




To true up the leading and tail edges of the sheets stacked on the first storage means


21


in the sheet discharging direction, the front-side aligning member


24


disposed at the front end of the first storage means


21


is brought to its closed state (L


1


) as shown in

FIG. 6A

, and then, the aligning operation member


23




a


of the rear-side aligning member is moved forward in the sheet discharging direction d2 as shown in FIG.


7


A. As a result, the sheets Sb stacked on the first storage means are pressed against the front-side aligning member


24


, thus to be aligned in the sheet discharging direction.




The sheet transferring means


25


for sending the sheets Sb thus aligned and stored in the first storage means


21


to the sheet storing section


40


comprises means


25




a


for gripping the rear part of the sheaf of sheets relative to the sheet discharging direction d2, driving means


25




b


for rendering sheet gripping of the gripping means


25




a


, a pair of guide rails


25




c


disposed under the upper surface of the first storage means


21


and extending in the sheet discharging direction d2, rollers


25




d


movable along the guide rails


25




c


, and another driving means


25




e


for moving the rollers


25




d


to and fro along the guide rails


25




c


in the sheet discharging direction d2.




The gripping means


25




a


has upper and lower claws between which the sheets Sb stacked on the first storage means


21


are gripped, so that the sheets Sb can be stably transferred to the sheet storing section


40


in the sheet discharging direction d2.




The stapling means


26


in this embodiment may be a common electrically-powered stapler which is generally incorporated in a sheet handling device of this sort, but not specifically peculiar. Instead of or in the company of such an electric stapler, a punching machine may be used.




The stapling means


26


is mounted at the front end of the sheet transferring reference surface


21




a


of the first storage means


21


relative to the sheet discharging direction d2. When the sheets Sb are transferred along the sheet transferring reference surface


21




a


by the transferring means


25


, one or more staples are arbitrarily thrust into the margin part of the sheets Sb, which is in contact with the sheet transferring reference surface


21




a.






In

FIG. 3

, denoted by


27


is a waiting tray for temporarily receiving a sheet for a succeeding sheaf of sheets, which is introduced from the image forming apparatus M into the sheet handling device, until the sheaf of sheets being processed on the first storage means


21


is completely sent out from the first storage means


21


. The waiting tray for temporarily putting thereon the succeeding sheet on standby is not necessarily indispensable to the invention.




The waiting tray


27


is supported movably by holding rollers


27




a


so as to move in and out with respect to the sheet transferring reference surface


21




a


in the sheet introducing direction d1 in parallel to the first storage means


21


. The waiting tray


27


is held on each side thereof by a three-point supporting mechanism comprising two lower rollers being in contact with the lower surface of the waiting tray and an upper roller being in contact with the upper surface of the waiting tray and located between the lower rollers. With this supporting mechanism, the waiting tray


27


is movable to and fro relative to the first storage means


21


at a fixed angle.




The sheet storing section


40


comprises a second storage means


41


formed of a vertically movable stacking tray for stacking the sheaf of sheets Sb sent from the sheet processing section


20


, lifting means


42


for moving vertically the second storage means


41


, means


43


for gripping the sheets Sb sent from the sheet processing section


20


by the transferring means


25


, means


44


for moving the gripping means


43


in the sheet discharging direction d2, tilting means


45


for vertically rocking the gripping means


43


, and means


46


for detecting the height of sheaves of sheets stacked on the second storage means


41


, as shown particularly in FIG.


2


and FIG.


4


.




The sheets Sb, which are aligned and bound in the sheet processing section


20


and sent in the sheet discharging direction d2 to the sheet storing section


40


, are taken into the second storage means


41


while being caught by the gripping means


43


. Then, when the sheets Sb bound arrive just above the storing tray of the second storage means


41


, they are released from the gripping means


43


so as to be landed on the storing tray of the second storage means


41


.




The components constituting the sheet storing section


40


are by no means limited thereto and any other components may be adopted for stably transferring and landing the sheets on the second storage means.




The operation of the sheet aligning mechanism Tm in the aforenoted sheet handling device will be described with reference to FIG.


7


A through FIG.


7


C and

FIGS. 8A and 8B

.




In the initial state in which a sheet is introduced from the image forming apparatus to the first storage means


21


of the sheet processing section


20


, the front-side aligning member


24


takes its lower aligning position to close the sheet transferring passage Px. Each time the sheet reaches the first storage means


21


or when a prescribed number of sheets are accumulated on the first storage means


21


, the rear-side aligning member


23


is moved in the sheet discharging direction d2 to press the sheet or sheets against the front-side aligning member


24


as shown in FIG.


7


A. Consequently, the sheets Sb are aligned in the sheet discharging direction d2 as shown in FIG.


8


A.




Upon completion of alignment of the sheets, the sheets Sb are forwarded by the transferring means


25


in the sheet discharging direction d2 and gripped by the gripping means


25




a


, and the front-side aligning member


24


is moved upward to open the sheet transferring passage Px as shown in FIG.


7


B. Then, the transferring means


25


is moved forward in the sheet discharging direction d2, and meanwhile, the aligning operation member


23


of the rear-side aligning member is moved in the opposite direction to the sheet discharging direction d2, consequently to return to its initial position.




Just after the sheets Sb gripped by the gripping means


25




a


are transferred by the transferring means


25


in the sheet discharging direction d2, the front-side aligning member


24


is moved downward to come in slight contact with the upper surface of the sheets Sb as shown in FIG.


7


C and FIG.


8


B. Thus, the sheets Sb being transferred are softly depressed by the front-side aligning member


24


, so that it can be stably forwarded in the sheet discharging direction d2 without straggling.




While the sheets Sb are transferred toward the sheet storing section


40


, the sheets Sb are bound at one or more arbitrary points of the margin part of the sheaf of sheets with one or more staples ST by the stapling means


26


.




The front-side aligning member


24


in the embodiment described above is movable vertically over the first storage means


21


as shown in

FIG. 8A

, while being rubbed with the leading ends of the sheets Sb aligned on the first storage means


21


. As a result, it is feared that the front-side aligning member


24


fails to open certainly or makes fricative noises. Specifically in case of handling delicate sheets, they are apt to be damaged by friction.




To prevent the front-side aligning member moving vertically from rubbing against the leading ends of the aligned sheets held on the first storage means, the front-side aligning member


24


may be lifted aslant forwardly relative to the sheet discharging direction d2, as indicated by the arrow d3 in FIG.


9


.




FIG.


10


A and

FIG. 10B

illustrate another embodiment in which the front-side aligning member is withdrawn aslant.




The front-side aligning member


124


in this embodiment has side frames


124




a


each having a guide slot


124




b


inclined relative the the first storage means


21


, and a stationary support frame


128


having guide pins


128




a


inserted into the guide slots


124




b


, so as to permit the front-side aligning member


124


to move aslant upward (in the direction of the arrow d3).




The front-side aligning member


124


in this embodiment is driven by driving means


130


which comprises a solenoid


131


having a pin


131




a


, a first work member


132


supported on a pivot


128




b


, a second work member


133


supported on the pivot


128




b


, and a rocking member


134


rockingly movable about a pivot


128




c


, and a link connecting the second work member


133


to the rocking member


134


.




With the driving means


130


, reciprocating motion produced by the solenoid


131


is transmitted to the front-side aligning member


124


through the pin


131




a


, first work member


132


, second work member


133


and rocking member


134


, to move the front-side aligning member


124


aslant upward. Therefore, even if the front-side aligning member


124


being in contact with the leading edges of the sheets Sb aligned on the first storage means is withdrawn upward, the front-side aligning member


124


does not rub against the sheets. Thus, inadequate opening movement of the shutter member


124


, damage of the leading ends of the sheets and generation of fricative noises due to friction between the shutter member and the sheets can be eliminated.




Also in this embodiment, the front-side aligning member


124


can be in soft contact with the upper surface of the sheets Sb being just transferred under the front-side aligning member


124


so as to allow the sheets to stably move is without straggling.




As another measure for preventing the front-side aligning member from rubbing against the sheets aligned on the first storage means


21


, the third embodiment shown in

FIG. 11

may be adopted.




In the third embodiment, a front-side aligning member


224


is supported rotatably by a pivot


224




a


disposed at the front end of the first storage means


21


and has an operative slot lever


224




b


extending downward from the lower end thereof at which the pivot


224




a


is located. A driving means for rotating the front-side aligning member


224


includes a solenoid


231


linked to the operative slot lever


224




b


. The front-side aligning member


224


is constantly urged by a resilient means


232


such as a spring so as to close the sheet transferring passage Px defined on the first storage means


21


.




By actuating the solenoid


231


to rotate the front-side aligning member


224


around the pivot


224




a


, the front-side aligning member


224


is withdrawn downward to open the sheet transferring passage Px, so that the sheets Sb are permitted to advance in the sheet discharging direction d2.




In order to prevent a succeeding sheet, which may possibly be fed onto the sheaf of sheets Sb stacked and aligned on the first storage means and partially overlay the sheaf of sheets stacked, from being sent out together with the sheaf of aligned sheets to be transferred toward the second storage means


41


along the sheet transferring passage Px, a restraining means


625


which comes in contact with the upper surface of the sheaf of aligned sheets or the succeeding sheet ss overlaying the aligned sheets may be arranged as shown in

FIG. 11

, so that the succeeding sheet overlaying the sheaf of sheets Sb can be securely kept from following the sheets Sb being sent out toward the second storage means.




The fourth embodiment shown in

FIG. 12

has a front-side aligning member


324


supported openably upward by a pivot


324


disposed above the front end of the first storage means


21


. A mechanism for opening the front-side aligning member


324


is substantially identical with that in the third embodiment described above.




Also in this fourth embodiment and other embodiments which will be described later, the restraining means


625


illustrated in

FIG. 11

may preferably be added for preventing the succeeding sheet from following the sheaf of aligned sheets being sent out from the first storage means.





FIG. 13

shows the fifth embodiment in which a front-side aligning member


424


is movable aslant downward relative to the sheet discharging direction d2. To this embodiment, the driving means used in the embodiment shown in FIG.


10


A and

FIG. 10B

may be applied.




A front-side aligning member


524


in the sixth embodiment of

FIG. 14

is supported rotatably by a pivot


531


, so that it is opened upward and closed with a rotational motion which is produced by a rotary means such as a motor and transmitted to the pivot


531


through gears


533


.




The first storage means


21


in this embodiment is inclined downward in the sheet discharging direction d2, so that the sheets Sb stacked on the first storage means


21


can spontaneously slide down to the second storage means


41


. That is, when the front-side aligning member


524


is rotated upward to open the sheet transferring passage Px, the sheets Sb are automatically moved as free-falling from the first storage means


21


to the second storage means


41


without being forcibly pushed.




The seventh embodiment shown in FIG.


15


A and

FIG. 15B

employs a front-side aligning member


624


which is movable in parallel in the sheet discharging direction (

FIG. 15A

) and can lay down forward (

FIG. 15B

) to open is the sheet passage. This mechanism is operated by driving means including a rotational source


630


such as a motor, and a transmission means formed of a gear


631


and a rack


632


for generating rectilinear motion from the rotational motion of the motor. The front-side aligning member


624


is linked to the rack


632


by a pivot


633


and has a lower protrusion


625


which collides with a fixed stopper


634


when moving forward.




Thus, the front-side aligning member


624


moves to and fro as it stands vertically until the lower protrusion


625


collides with the fixed stopper


634


(FIG.


15


A). By further pushing the front-side aligning member


624


forward after bringing the lower protrusion


625


into collision with the fixed stopper


634


, the front-side aligning member


624


rotates on the pivot


633


to open the sheet passage Px (FIG.


15


B).




In

FIG. 15B

, the aligning position of the front-side aligning member


624


is depicted by a chain line, and the retreating position thereof is depicted by a solid line.




The embodiments described above are featured in that the sheets Sb fed onto the first storage means


21


are aligned by the sheet aligning mechanism Tm and sent out to the sheet storing section


40


upon opening the front-side aligning member, and besides, the front-side aligning member


124


is movable to open the sheet passage without rubbing against the leading end of the sheets. Thus, the front-side aligning member


124


can stably execute the opening action.




Although the sheet alignment is performed, in principle, by moving the rear-side aligning member toward the front-side aligning member


24


so as to press the sheets Sb against the front-side aligning member


24


in the foregoing embodiment as explained above, the sheets Sb handled in the seventh embodiment may be aligned by moving the front-side aligning member


624


backward in accordance of the size of the sheets fed from the image forming apparatus to the first storage means


21


.




That is to say, as shown in

FIG. 16A

, the sheets Sb stacked on the first storage means


21


are pushed against the rear-side aligning member


623


by moving the front-side aligning member


624


backward. Consequently, the edges of the sheets are trued up in the sheet discharging direction d2, and thereafter, the front-side aligning member


624


is moved forward and rotated downward to open the sheet passage Px by being brought into collision with the fixed stopper


634


.




As is apparent from the foregoing description, the sheet aligning mechanism in the sheet handling device according to the present invention brings about beneficial effects in that the sheets fed into the sheet processing section can be securely pressed between the rear-side aligning member movable to and fro in the sheet discharging direction and the front-side aligning member retractable from the sheet transferring passage Px, thus to be aligned exactly with high efficiency, and that the sheet handling device of the invention can be made small in size because the sheet aligning mechanism including the front-side aligning member does not occupy much space. Furthermore, since the sheets aligned in the sheet processing section by the sheet aligning mechanism are softly depressed by the front-side aligning member when being transferred to the sheet storing section, they are stably moved in the sheet discharging direction toward the sheet storing section without straggling.




Although the invention has been described in its preferred form with a certain degree of particularity, it is understood that the present disclosure of the preferred form has been changed in the details of construction and the combination and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.



Claims
  • 1. A sheet handling device comprising a first storage means for stacking one or more sheets having leading edges fed from an image forming apparatus thus forming a stack with a top surface, means for transferring the sheets stacked in said first storage means, a second storage means for storing the sheets transferred from said first storage means by said sheet transferring means, said second storage means being movable in a direction crossing transversely to said top surface of said sheets stacked on said second storage means, sheet aligning means to be brought into contact with said leading edges of said sheets for aligning the sheets stacked on said first storage means to true up said leading edges of said sheets, and moving means for causing said sheet aligning means to be movable between a sheet aligning position at which all of said sheets stacked on said first storage means are aligned by contacting leading edges of said sheets with said sheet aligning means and a retreating position apart from said sheet aligning position in a direction crossing transversely with a surface of said sheets stacked on said first storage means, said sheet aligning means being movable and thereby separated from said leading edges of said sheets stacked on said first storage means in a sheet discharging direction in which said sheets are transferred by said sheet transferring means.
  • 2. A sheet handling device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said sheet aligning means is moved by said moving means in a direction crossing with a surface of said sheets stacked on said first storage means, while being withdrawn from said leading edges of said sheets in said sheet discharging direction.
  • 3. A sheet handling device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said sheet aligning means is moved by said moving means in a direction crossing with a surface of said sheets stacked on said first storage means, after being withdrawn from said leading edges of said sheets in said sheet discharging direction.
  • 4. A sheet handling device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said sheet aligning means is rotated by said moving means in a direction in which said aligning means is separated from said leading edges of said sheets in said sheet discharging direction, to move to said retreating position.
  • 5. A sheet handling device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said sheet aligning means is retractable aslant upward or downward from said leading edges of said sheets.
  • 6. A sheet handling device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said sheet aligning means is retractable aslant upward from said leading edges of said sheets and subsequently to retracting aslant upward temporarily comes into contact with said top surface of said sheets being transferred.
  • 7. A sheet handling device comprising a first storage means for stacking one or more sheets having leading edges fed from an image forming apparatus thus forming a stack with a top surface, means for transferring the sheets stacked on said first storage means, a second storage means for storing the sheets transferred from said first storage means by said sheet transferring means, said second storage means being movable in a direction crossing transversely to said top surface of said sheets stacked on said second storage means, and front-side and rear-side aligning members disposed in front of and behind the sheets stacked on said first storage means, said front-side aligning member being movable between a sheet aligning position at which all of said sheets stacked on said first storage means are aligned by contacting leading edges of said sheets with and a retreating position apart from said sheet aligning position in a direction crossing transversely with said top surface of said sheets stacked on said first storage means, said front-side aligning member being movable and thereby separated from said leading edges of said sheets stacked on said storage means in a sheet discharging direction in which said sheets are transferred by said sheet transferring means.
  • 8. A sheet handling device as claimed in claim 7, wherein said sheet aligning means is movable by said moving means in a direction crossing transversely with said top surface of said sheets stacked on said first storage means, while being withdrawn from said leading edges of said sheets in said sheet discharging direction.
  • 9. A sheet handling device as claimed in claim 7, wherein said front-side aligning member is movable in a direction crossing transversely with a surface of said sheets stacked on said first storage means, after being withdrawn from said leading edges of said sheets in said sheet discharging direction.
  • 10. A sheet handling device as claimed in claim 7, wherein said front-side aligning member is rotated in a direction in which said front-side aligning member is separated from said leading edges of said sheets in said sheet discharging direction, to move to said retreating position.
  • 11. A sheet handling device as claimed in claim 7, wherein said rear-side aligning member is movable toward said front-side aligning member to align the sheets stacked between said front-side aligning member and said rear-side aligning member.
  • 12. A sheet handling device as claimed in claim 7, wherein said front-side aligning member is movable toward said rear-side aligning member to align the sheets stacked between said front-side aligning member and said rear-side aligning member.
  • 13. A sheet handling device as claimed in claim 7, wherein said front-side aligning member is movable to be separated from the sheets aligned between said front-side and said rear-side aligning members upon moving said rear-side aligning member backward, to transfer the aligned sheets by said sheet transferring means.
  • 14. A sheet handling device comprising a first storage means for storing a stack of one or more sheets having leading edges fed from an image forming apparatus thus forming a stack with a top surface, means for transferring the sheets stored in said first storage means, a second storage means for storing the sheets transferred from said first storage means by said sheet transferring means, said second storage means being movable in a direction crossing transversely with said top surface of said sheets stacked on said second storage means, and means for restraining a succeeding sheet overlaying said stack of sheets to be transferred from said first storage means toward said second storage means by said transferring means.
  • 15. A sheet handling device as claimed in claim 14, further comprising means for aligning the sheets stacked on said first storage means by coming into contact with said leading edges of said sheets, and moving means for separating said sheet aligning means from said leading edges of said sheets stacked on said first storage means in a sheet discharging direction when transferring said sheets.
  • 16. A sheet handling device as claimed in claim 14, further comprising operating means for causing said restraining means to retreat from its aligning positions at which the sheets are aligned, thus to prevent said succeeding sheet fed onto said stack of aligned sheets being sent out from said first storage means.
  • 17. A sheet handling device as claimed in claim 14, further comprising means for aligning the sheets stacked on said first storage means, said aligning means being movable from its sheet aligning position to its retreating position and coming into contact with an upper surface of the sheets being transferred by said transferring means.
Priority Claims (2)
Number Date Country Kind
9-153031 May 1997 JP
9-333464 Nov 1997 JP
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Number Name Date Kind
1865308 Evans et al. Jun 1932
2235347 Zahutnik Mar 1941
3777903 Kuckhermann Dec 1973
3866741 Carbond et al. Feb 1975
4867436 Hanada et al. Sep 1989
5080342 Mori et al. Jan 1992
5096370 Mohr Mar 1992
5217215 Ohata et al. Jun 1993
5382016 Kobayashi et al. Jan 1995
5439344 Yoshizuka et al. Aug 1995
5556251 Hiroi et al. Sep 1996
5799935 Yamanushi et al. Sep 1998
Foreign Referenced Citations (2)
Number Date Country
4-290800 Oct 1992 JP
6-321418 Nov 1994 JP