Abstract: A printer has one or more stacked sheet output units on top of it for increasing the printer's output capacity. Each unit includes a housing having a diverter as does the printer. The position of each diverter is controlled by a diverter/drive mechanism in the unit stacked on top of it. In its first position, the diverter of the printer or the unit diverts a fed sheet from a substantially vertical path therein to a sheet receiving area. In its second position, the diverter allows the fed sheet to be advanced by driven rolls to the unit thereabove. The feed rolls of a unit are driven only when the diverter in each of the printer and in any unit therebeneath are in the second position.

Abstract: A sheet processing device which is mounted on an image forming apparatus having a both-side copy mode of forming an image on each side of a sheet member, including a bin module provided with a plurality of bins for accepting sheet members exhausted from the image forming apparatus, and a processor for taking out sheet members exhausted from the bin and processing the sheet members. When the maximum number of sheets continuously producible per unit in the both-side copy mode for the image forming apparatus is N, and the number of bins is m, the number of bins m is set to satisfy the following relational expression:m.gtoreq.N.

Abstract: In an envelope stacker, a pusher mechanism continuously applies a force to the envelope flap for sealing the envelope. The stacker is comprised of a horizontal deck, a rear wall, and a plate for supporting a stack of envelopes. Upon receiving an envelope, a pusher advances the envelope towards the stack of envelopes while applying a continuous force to the flap and rear panel of the envelope.

Abstract: The present invention provides a sheet post-treatment apparatus comprising a sheet bundle convey unit including at least one sheet receiving tray unit capable of accommodating a sheet, a convey unit for conveying the sheet on the sheet receiving tray unit, and a sheet stacking tray for receiving the sheet and for stacking the sheets thereon. Apparatus includes a hold member capable of shifting between a first position where the hold member is overlapped with a stacking surface of the sheet stacking tray above the stacking surface, and a second position where the hold member is retracted from the stacking surface. When the sheet is conveyed to the stacking surface, the hold member supports a rear end portion of the sheet at the first position, and the hold member is shifted to the second position at a predetermined timing to drop a rear end portion of the sheet, thereby stacking the sheets.

Abstract: In a multi-bundle stacker having an inclined bundle-discharging mechanism for frontward discharging of copy-sheet bundles from adjacent upwardly inclined sorting trays of a sorter disposed on the side of a photocopying machine, a stowing bin is provided having a bundle-receiving platform lying at an inclination generally parallel to the inclination of the sorting trays. A bundle discharge/stowing path, that the trailing end nearest the copying machine of a sheet bundle discharged into stowage follows, is defined having a portion generally orthogonal to, and lying between, the bundle-discharging mechanism and the stowing bin. A standing wall extends partially in the discharge/stowing path upward from the stowing bin. A tilted bundle stowing guide is mounted on a triangular foot over the standing wall. A bundle turning guide assembly including a pusher mechanism intersects the bundle discharge/stowing path at an angle below the bundle stowing guide.

Abstract: A system and method for manually removably locking a paper handling module to a reproduction apparatus with greatly reduced manual force, wherein the reproduction apparatus and the paper handling module have respective sheet feed openings which are operatively aligned for sheet feeding therebetween when the module is so locked to the reproduction apparatus in a locking position, and wherein the paper handling module has a weight which is undesirable for manual lifting into the locking position. The module is supported on an integral module transporting system to be freely movable in any horizontal direction into an initial docking position closely adjacent to the reproduction apparatus.

Abstract: A moving tray sorter has a set of trays configured to extend upwardly from a horizontal plane at the point of sheet entry and each tray has progressively from the sheet inlet end a back stop against which the trailing edges of sheet are aligned, a horizontally extended section and an upwardly inclined section of a substantial angle from the horizontal providing trays which are short, which occupy a relatively small area or footprint and which support sheets of relatively large size and overhang without droop of the sheets at the outer ends.

Abstract: An information transmit/receive apparatus comprises a printer having a sheet feed portion and a sheet discharge portion, an original reader having a sheet feed portion and a sheet discharge portion and a sorter having a sheet entrance port which is connected to the sheet discharge portion of the printer via an adapter for coupling the sheet discharge portion and the sheet entrance port together. The adapter has a transparent portion through which the recording sheet passage in the adapter can be visually observed, whereby a jam of a recording sheet in the adapter portion can be easily observed. A control means performs receive and transmit operations.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus is provided with a rotatable upper cover, one surface of which serves as a first exit tray on which recording sheets are discharged with image sides face downward, the other surface of which serves as a second exit tray on which recording sheets are discharged with image sides face upward. Guide members which are activated in accordance with the rotation of the rotatable upper cover are provided above delivering rollers, thereby the recording sheets delivered by the delivering rollers are selectively discharged with the image sides either face downward to the first exit tray or face upward to the second exit tray.

Abstract: A discharge unit is provided on one side portion of the image-forming machine body to turn between an open position and a closed position. When the discharge unit is at the closed position, a discharge passage to the tray is defined over the discharge unit and a discharge passage to the sorter is defined under the discharge unit. When the discharge unit is turned to the open position, the lower portion of the discharge passage to the tray and the upper portion of the discharge passage to the sorter are opened.

Abstract: A copying apparatus with a sorter having a plurality of bins and a stapler for stapling sheets distributed to each of the bins. The stapler has a sensor for detecting staples. The stapler is moved along the bins and stopped at a side of each bin to staple the sheets stored in the bin. When the sensor detects no staples in the stapler, the position of the stapler is stored in a memory, and then the stapler is returned to a home position. After the stapler is loaded with staples, the stapler is moved to the position stored in the memory. The sorter has a counter for counting staples in the stapler, and a count value of the counter is compared with the number of copy sets to be made. When the number of copy sets is larger than the count value, an alarm is raised. Further, the copying apparatus has an automatic document feeder for feeding originals to an exposure position one by one, and the automatic document feeder counts the originals before copying.

Abstract: A sheet transport mechanism includes a plurality of transport paths, a transport roller provided at a branch section at which the transport paths are branched, a flapper provided at the branch section to select one of the plurality of transport paths and to guide a sheet member into the selected transport path by changing its posture, and a flapper roller supported on the flapper, the flapper roller pinching the sheet member in cooperation with the transport roller to transport the sheet member. The flapper roller is urged toward the transport roller by its weight and/or a spring force.

Abstract: A sorter-finisher wherein sheets discharged from an image forming apparatus are distributed among a plurality of bins in a sorter unit, and thereafter the sheets are taken out of each bin and transported to a finisher unit to be finished. The bins are put one upon another, and they are movable up and down. A take-out unit for taking sheets out of each bin in order to transport the sheets to the finisher unit is installed above the bins positioned for the distributing operation. Each bin is moved up to the position facing the take-out unit and further is laterally moved toward the take-out unit, and the sheets in the bin are taken out thereof nipped by a pair of rollers. Further, the sorter-finisher comprises a transporting unit which is a route from the discharge portion of the image forming apparatus to a receiving/take-out portion of the sorter unit, and sheets are transported to the bins and also transported to the finisher unit through the transporting unit.

Abstract: A copy system has a duplicator and a large capacity sorter. The duplicator has a limited capacity duplex tray that supports copy processing in the duplex mode. The sorter has up to 10 towers with 60 bins provided in each tower. The maximum bin capacity is 100 sheets, so that the system can handle up to 60,000 copies. Horizontal and vertical transports are provided for each tower and a bin deflector is provided for each bin. Each tower has a local control that is directed by a centralized sorter control. A duplicator control is provided for running the copy process in the duplicator and for directing the sorter control to achieve coordinated operation of the duplicator and sorter. In the uncollated, duplex mode, duplex copies are produced in segment sizes up to the duplex tray capacity limit. Copies of each original in successive copy segments are delivered to consecutive bins in a common bin area in a pair of the towers thereby forming a readily identified copy stack for that stack in the common bin area.

Abstract: A shunt assembly has a shunt segment which is pivotably supported for rapid movement between two signature outfeed paths. The shunt segment has spaced tines at its ends with these tines interdigitating with spaced signature transport tapes and rolls.

Abstract: In a sorter controller in which a plurality of sheets fed from the copying machine are separately placed in a plurality of sort bins, the preset copy number is inputted by the operation of an operation panel provided on the copying machine, and a number m of groups of sheets to be placed in a sort bin is calculated by m=INT(N/n), where INT represents a function for obtaining the integer of the number in the parenthesis and N represents the number of sheets that can be placed in a sort bin. When m.gtoreq.2, the sort bin in which the copied sheets are placed is changed every time n.times.m sheets are placed in a sort bin. According to such feature, the copied sheets of an original never be separately placed in a plurality of sort bins, and further, the available sort bins are effectively used.

Abstract: A sheet feeding system for an image-forming machine includes a main body having a conveying passage therethrough for guiding sheet materials and a hand insertion feed table pivotally attached to the main body for movement between a feed position in which it can be used to feed sheet materials into the conveying passage and a storage position. The sheet feeding system also includes a separate feed unit which, when the table is in its storage position, can be aligned with the main body so that sheet materials can be fed therefrom into the conveying passage. The conveying passage guides sheet materials to either a receiving section, a sorter or back into the introduction opening of the conveying passage so as to form overlapping images.

Abstract: A sorting apparatus for sheets which are supplied from an office machine such as a printer, comprises a take-up site for receiving the sheet from the printer and a plurality of output sites. The sheet can be deposited into any one of the output sites. A support carries pairs of engaged rollers which define a feed channel for a sheet. The feed channel has an inlet end which is alignable with the take-up site for receiving a sheet from the office machine. The support can be pivoted about a swiveling axis to bring the outlet end of the channel to any one of the output sites. A control mechanism is connected to a stepper motor which engages the support for rotating the support about its swiveling axis.

Abstract: A compact sorting machine inverts recorded sheets into a face-down attitude and discharges them into individual trays. When a recorded sheet is sent from a feed opening, this sheet is transported on a transport path located below entrances of a plurality of trays. Guide members disposed in the vicinity of each tray entrance are driven according to a control signal so that the recorded sheet is discharged into individual trays. At this time, a guide member having an arc-shape simultaneously inverts the recorded sheet into a face-down attitude.

Abstract: Providing plural precollated sets of copies by plurally recirculating a set of documents and normally making two consecutive identical copies per document per circulation, at one-half the copying rate of the copier, feeding these pairs of identical copy sheets separately into two of only 3 (or 4) movable compiler bins, sequentially accumulating and stacking these copy sheets into completed, compiled, collated copy sheet sets in each of the two compiler bins, and then removing the sets one at a time for finishing, from the opposite side of the bins, and sequentially changing, for subsequent circulations of the sets of documents, which 2 of the 3 compiler bins are being fed pairs of copy sheets, and which compiler bin is not, so that a compiled set of copy sheets may be removed from its bin or left in awaiting finishing of a prior set without having any copy sheets fed into that bin, in coordination with and without interfering with said feeding and directing of other copy sheets into other compiler bins.

Abstract: In a serial connection of plural sheet sorters, each sorter is capable of checking the state of downstream sorters and, in case an assigned sorter is not in a normal state, the sheets are stored in an immediately preceding sorter. In this manner it is made possible to prevent a situation where the function of the entire sorters is blocked by a single failure. Also sorters of desired number can be connected in series since same control circuits can be used in all sorters.

Abstract: A copy sheet transport is provided for integration between a copier and an indexing sorter arranged for collating the copier output into copy sets or booklets. The transport is associated with a control system for controlling the acceleration or deceleration of indexing movement of the sorter in accordance with the positional relationship of copy sheets in the transport. Sensors and a timing arrangement are devised for determining the positional relationship, and to impart correctional signals to the drive for the sorter.

Abstract: A device for separably supporting an auxiliary machine to an image forming apparatus, including supporting structure for supporting the auxiliary machine and for allowing the auxiliary machine to move up and down between an operative position wherein the auxiliary machine is cooperable with the image forming machine and a retracted position wherein said auxiliary machine is retracted from the operative position, and means for retaining the auxiliary machine at the operative position.

Abstract: Apparatus producing information copies on interleaved transparency material and plain paper separator sheets, where such separation of the transparency material by the plain paper sheets facilitates handling of the transparency material. The productivity of the apparatus reproduction cycles is enhanced by selectively producing information copies on transparency material or on transparency material and on the separator sheets. After the information copies are produced, the transparency material and separator sheets are selectively stacked in separate receiving hoppers or in interleaved fashion in one receiving hopper.

Abstract: A document handling apparatus/copy sheet processor/finishing apparatus arranged as an integrated system to produce bound copy sheets at high speed but with minimum mechanical activity by double exposing each document sheet, producing successive copy sheets in accordance with the exposure, distributing the successive copy sheets alternately into receiving trays and utilizing a set transport for each of the trays to bring copy sets alternately to a single point binding device.

Abstract: A document handling apparatus/copy sheet processor/finishing apparatus arranged as an integrated system to produce bound copy sheets at high speed but with minimum mechanical activity by double exposing one or both sides of a document sheet, producing side-by-side copy sheets in accordance with either of the exposures modes, distributing the successive copy sheets alternately into receiving trays and utilizing a set transport for each of the trays to bring copy sets alternately to a single point binding device.

Abstract: A deflector (C) is movable relative to bin (E) to selectively deflect sheets into the bins (E) for collation. An enable signal for a next collation operation is generated when a sensor (94) senses that the required number of sheets for collation have been discharged into the bins (E). The sensor (94) in combination with a sensor (45) which senses sheets entering the collator (2) detect a sheet jam and enable computation of the number of jammed sheets by subtracting the number of sheets discharged into the bins (E) from the number of sheets entering the collator (2).

Abstract: A collation/finishing system is disclosed for use with a very high speed, fully automated reproduction machine having a document handling apparatus, copy sheet processor, and a finishing station. In this arrangement, a sorter bin array is arranged to receive copy sheets on one side and to collate the copy sheets into copy sets corresponding to a multiple page document. A set transport is arranged on the other side of the bin array for unloading the completed copy sets. The bin array is indexed in either direction to either receive copy sheets or to permit unloading.

Abstract: A collation/finishing system is disclosed for use with a very high speed, fully automated reproduction machine having a document handling apparatus, copy sheet processor, and a finishing station. In this arrangement, a sorter bin array is arranged to receive copy sheets on one side and to collate the copy sheets into copy sets corresponding to a multiple page document. A pivotal set transport is arranged to unload completed copy sets on the same side whereat loading takes place. The bin array is indexed in either direction to receive copy sheets during loading or to permit unloading.

Abstract: A device for distributing sheets in a predetermined sequence into a plurality of collecting pockets successively arranged in a horizontal sheet feed path includes a guide member connected at the upper end of each of a plurality of walls successively arranged beneath the feed path to define the collecting pockets. The guide member extends at a substantially equal angle of inclination relative to the feed path and a deflection plane through which the sheets are deflected. A guide tongue connected to the guide plate extends in the same plane of inclination of the guide plate and projects into an adjacent one of the collecting pockets. A guide fin, connected to the guide plate, is provided for preventing areal contact between a deflected sheet and a guide plate.

Abstract: Sheet-like articles, such as paper, entering one or more support trays are aligned in one or more vertical stacks by a pair of rotating drive devices positioned vertically and adjacent to opposite sides of the support trays. The rotating drive devices include a plurality of resilient flaps mounted to a support member. The flaps are configured to reach over a stack of sheets thereby contacting a sheet on its top surface as well as on its edge.

Abstract: A device for aligning sheets in a stack relative to at least one reference surface of a support tray. The device includes at least one movable alignment arm extending into the tray and a mechanism for transporting the arm to contact a sheet periodically and to move said sheet in a direction perpendicular to the reference surface for alignment.

Abstract: An apparatus for and a novel method of collating, sorting and stacking sheets, concurrently termed "offset collation", are disclosed. The first sheets of sets to be collated, numbering up to the desired number of sets in a job, are transported from an entry station to a unitary bin sheet receiving station via a sheet transport station having an arcuate feed path to and through the aforementioned unitary bin sheet receiving station. These first sheets are stacked in the unitary bin sheet receiving station in an alternate offset fashion clearly demarcating the sets to be collated. The second sheets of the aforementioned sets are then sequentially inserted in the same alternate offset fashion contiguous to the first sheets. The method is repeated until all the sheets comprising a set have been inserted into all the sets. The final result is collated, sorted and stacked sets readied for convenient removal from the unitary bin sheet receiving station.

Abstract: A sheet sorting and stacking apparatus for sorting and storing sheet materials into plural storage positions, includes a pair of sheet conveyors for transporting sheet materials from a sheet entrance to the storage positions, an auxiliary member provided in the transport path and adapted to perform a swinging motion thereby being released together with one of the conveyors from the other so as to widen the space in the transport path and releasing device for releasing the auxiliary member upon detection of an abnormality in the sheet transport.

Abstract: There is provided for use with a conveyor, an unloading apparatus for automatically removing a stack of sheets from a succession of shelves or bins, as in a collator, and conveying it to a desired location. The unloading apparatus includes a gripper which is adapted to advance to grip the sheets as presented on a shelf and then retract to insert the stack of sheets onto a conveyor, e.g. a tape conveyor. The gripper includes a four-bar linkage whereby the upper one of its jaws is elevated from a position beneath the plane of travel of the stack of sheets into gripping relation with the stack by a spring biased over-center action. The gripper with the stack is moved linearly onto the conveyor which takes over from the gripper to continue the movement of the stack of sheets. At the delivery end of the gripper stroke, the four-bar linkage is actuated in an opposite direction, the stack released, and the upper jaw retracted out of the path of the stack.

Abstract: A sorting machine receives M successive groups of copies, each group consisting of N identical copies, to be converted into N complete sets of copies. N may considerably exceed the number of collecting bins of the sorting machine. In a first sorting operation, the cards are distributively sorted into a predetermined number of the collecting bins, until all cards have been deposited into bins. The stacks in the bins are then removed and laid one atop the other to form a new infeed stack, which is deposited into the infeed bin of the machine, and a second sorting operation is performed, until all cards have again been deposited into bins. This is repeated, if and as necessary, until the desired conversion has been accomplished. The sequence in which the cards are distributed into bins during especially the second and any subsequent sorting operations is so controlled that the desired sets are actually formed, no matter what the values of M and N and no matter what the number of collecting bins available.

Abstract: A system for controlling a sorter for receiving copy sheets from a reproduction machine processor. The sorter includes a plurality of bins for holding collated books of copy sheets. The control system provides a fault detection feature which insures that the copy sheets are placed in the correct bin. As each sheet enters the sorter, a timer is caused to begin running. When a sheet enters a bin, the timer is read and a fault is declared if the sheet did not reach the bin within a predetermined time range. Other features include bin module selection capabilities and automatic starting of the processor after a module has been unloaded.

Abstract: The invention concerns a method and apparatus for operating a copier/collator installation. By disabling the copier portion insofar as copy production is involved, the copier/collator installation can be used as an offline collator. This extended function allows the execution of copy and collate jobs which exceed the capacity of the collator.

Abstract: Upper and lower web guides are pivotably mounted for directing the leading edge of a web to either of upper or lower paths. Each web guide has a plurality of resilient members disposed side by side and extending downstream to define a channel through which the web can pass.