Binding Patents (Class 270/58.08)
  • Patent number: 10562731
    Abstract: A sheet processing apparatus is provided with a carry-in path for guiding a sheet from a carry-in entrance, a shift roller provided in the carry-in path to transport the sheet, while shifting, a carry-in roller positioned on the downstream side of the shift roller to carry the sheet from the carry-in path toward a collection tray, and a punch shift unit provided on the upstream side of the carry-in roller to process an end portion of the sheet in a processing position. The punch shift unit shifts in the same direction as the shift roller, a shift amount of the punch shift unit is set to be equal to a shift amount of the shift roller or more, and the end portion processing unit is thereby already positioned in an end portion processing position or a position near the processing position after shifting the sheet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 18, 2020
    Assignee: CANON FINETECH NISCA INC.
    Inventors: Takahiro Nakano, Shoubu Kato
  • Patent number: 10564905
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image data generator, a conveyor conveying a print medium, a determiner, a print medium cutter, a printing section, and a printing controller. The image data generator performs, sequentially on a page basis, conversion of print data corresponding to pages included in a print job into image data. The determiner determines a specified number of pages. The print medium cutter cuts the print medium into media for each of the specified number of pages. The printing section performs, on the print medium, printing of an image-data-based image. The printing controller causes the printing section to start the printing of the image corresponding at least to the specified number of pages, after the conversion of the print data into the image data corresponding at least to the specified number of pages and before that into the image data corresponding to all of pages.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 18, 2020
    Assignee: Oki Data Corporation
    Inventor: Akihiro Honda
  • Patent number: 10539914
    Abstract: A binding processing device includes: a needle binding unit that forms a needle binding portion that binds a paper bundle using a needle; a needleless binding unit that forms a needleless binding portion that binds the paper bundle without using a needle; and a plurality of exit rolls that exit the bound paper bundle. A distance between the needleless binding portion and a center of the plurality of exit rolls is equal to or longer than a distance between the needle binding portion and the center.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 17, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 21, 2020
    Assignee: FUJI XEROX CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hiroaki Awano, Masashi Matsumoto, Takuya Makita, Katsumi Harada, Kojiro Tsutsumi, Toshiyasu Yukawa, Takashi Ogino
  • Patent number: 10513140
    Abstract: A binding unit includes a pressing portion that binds a recording material bundle, which includes a first pressing portion pressing against the recording material bundle in order to bind the recording material bundle and a second pressing portion facing the first pressing portion, an extruding portion that is separately formed from the second pressing portion, and extrudes the second pressing portion toward the first pressing portion, and a driving source that drives the extruding portion, in which the extruding portion is connected to the pressing portion, the pressing portion retracts to a downstream side in a direction where a recording material enters when the recording material enters, and the driving source does not operate in conjunction with movement of the reaction of the pressing portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 20, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 24, 2019
    Assignee: FUJI XEROX CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hiroaki Awano, Yutaka Nobe, Satoshi Kurihara
  • Patent number: 10496023
    Abstract: A sheet processing apparatus includes a conveying portion, a stack portion which stacks sheets, a first regulating portion which regulates a position of a sheet bundle in a crossing direction crossing to a conveying direction, a second regulating portion which regulates a position of a sheet bundle in the conveying direction, a first binding portion which moves from a first side to a second side and binds a corner portion of a sheet bundle by a staple, a second binding portion which binds a corner portion of a sheet bundle without a staple. The second binding portion includes a first face having a plurality of projections and a second face having a plurality of concave grooves matching the plurality of projections. A sheet bundle is bound by pressing the first face and the second face.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2019
    Assignee: CANON FINETECH NISCA INC.
    Inventors: Yusuke Obuchi, Hideto Abe, Masaya Takahashi, Seiji Nishizawa
  • Patent number: 10472198
    Abstract: A sheet processing apparatus includes a conveying portion, a stack portion on which sheets conveyed by the conveying portion are stacked, a first regulating portion regulating a position of a sheet bundle stacked on the stack portion in a crossing direction, a second regulating portion regulating a position of a sheet bundle on the stack portion in a conveying direction, a first binding device moved in the crossing direction and binding a corner portion of a sheet bundle by a staple, a second binding device binding a corner portion of a sheet bundle without a staple, and a controller positioning the first binding device and binding a corner portion of a sheet bundle by the first binding device. The controller also moves the second binding device and binds a corner portion of a sheet bundle without a staple by the second binding device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 3, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 12, 2019
    Assignee: CANON FINETECH NISCA INC.
    Inventors: Daiki Komiyama, Takuya Katayama
  • Patent number: 10386772
    Abstract: A recording material processing apparatus includes: a first stacking unit configured to stack a recording material; a second stacking unit provided on a downstream side of the first stacking unit in a conveyance direction of the recording material; an alignment unit configured to align the recording material stacked in the first stacking unit before the recording material is discharged to the second stacking unit; and a control unit configured to perform control of discharging the recording material to the second stacking unit by switching between first control not to align the recording material by the alignment unit and second control to align the recording material by the alignment unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 23, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2019
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Genki Takahashi, Kazuhisa Sato, Seiji Yokoyama
  • Patent number: 10365602
    Abstract: Provided is a hole punching apparatus that is capable of improving the accuracy of stopping at a target reference position. The hole punching apparatus executes a hole-punching process and a braking process, and includes a rotation-detecting unit and a brake-control unit. The hole-punching process punches punch holes by rotating a hole-punching shaft from a reference position. The brake-control unit intermittently turns ON and OFF a short-circuit brake in the braking process. The brake-control unit sets a braking period for turning ON the brake according to the rotation position and rotation speed of the hole-punching shaft that is measured based on the rotation-position signal so that the braking period tends to become longer as the rotation position becomes closer to the reference position, and tends to become longer as the rotation speed becomes faster.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 30, 2019
    Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventor: Seiji Kaminaga
  • Patent number: 10328595
    Abstract: A post-processing apparatus includes a storing unit in which plural recording media are stored for performing post-processing, and a pushing member that latches onto and pushes trailing ends of the recording media stored in the storing unit toward an ejection port. When the number of the recording media stacked on the storing unit is small, the pushing member latches onto and pushes the trailing ends of the recording media at a position different from a position at which the pushing member latches onto and pushes the trailing ends of the recording media when the number of the recording media stacked on the storing unit is large.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 25, 2019
    Assignee: FUJI XEROX CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Jeman Shin, Dukhyun Ko, Woong Lee
  • Patent number: 10265990
    Abstract: A printing apparatus capable of producing a product having the optimum image layout dependent on a discharge destination even when saddle-stitching is canceled due to input of image data for sheets in excess of a limit of a saddle-stitchable number of sheets. The number of output sheets per one copy is calculated based on image data. When the number of output sheets per one copy exceeds a saddle-stitchable number of sheets, it is selected whether to perform the center folding processing on the sheets on which images are printed without performing the saddle stitching processing thereon or to perform neither the saddle stitching processing nor the center folding processing on the sheets on which images are printed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2019
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Yoshiro Tachibana
  • Patent number: 10203644
    Abstract: A sheet processing apparatus, including: a conveyance path in which a sheet is conveyed in a predetermined conveyance direction; a rotary member pair configured to nip the sheet conveyed in the conveyance path and rotate to perform folding processing on the sheet; and a guide portion provided between one rotary member of the rotary member pair and the conveyance path and configured to guide a downstream edge of a sheet conveyed in the predetermined conveyance direction, wherein, in case that a sheet is conveyed in the conveyance path in the predetermined conveyance direction, the guide portion guides a downstream edge of the sheet in the predetermined conveyance direction in a state in which the guide portion is held in contact with the one rotary member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 12, 2019
    Assignee: Canon Finetech Nisca Inc.
    Inventors: Kazunori Endo, Kenichi Matsuno, Ikuhiro Obata, Yuji Kunugi
  • Patent number: 10189669
    Abstract: Provided is a puncher having activating/inactivating switch for post-processing function. The puncher prevents undesirable post processing even if the switch indicates activation of the post processing. When a puncher which is registered in the image forming apparatus is attached to the puncher, the puncher obtains information indicating whether or not to the post processing using a punch die is activated or not. When the obtained information indicates that the post processing using the punch die is inactivated, even if the switch indicates activation of the post processing, the post processing is not performed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 1, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2019
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Akinobu Nishikata, Takashi Yokoya, Yutaka Ando, Akihiro Arai
  • Patent number: 10183508
    Abstract: A recording medium post-processing apparatus includes: a stacker which is stacked with a plurality of sheet-like recording media with images being recorded thereon; an receiving device which receives at least one of information regarding the images to be recorded on the recording media and information regarding the recording media; an alignment device which applies an external force to the recording media stacked on the stacker so as to align the recording media; a controller which sets, on the basis of the at least one information received by the receiving device, at least one of (i) a stacked-sheet number that is the number of the recording media, and (ii) a magnitude of the external force that is applied to the recording media and which controls the alignment device on the basis of the setted at least one of the stacked-sheet number and the magnitude of the external force.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 19, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 22, 2019
    Assignee: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Yoshihiro Itogawa
  • Patent number: 10173457
    Abstract: A binding device includes a first pressing member that presses a recording-medium stack from one surface side of the recording-medium stack, a second pressing member disposed at a position opposed to the first pressing member to press the recording-medium stack from the other surface side of the recording-medium stack, and a reduction part provided in at least one pressing member of the first pressing member and the second pressing member to reduce creases in recording media of the recording-medium stack in a binding operation when a number of the recording media in the recording-medium stack is smaller than a maximum number of recording media to be bound by the first pressing member and the second pressing member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2019
    Assignee: FUJI XEROX CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Takuya Makita, Hiroaki Awano, Kojiro Tsutsumi, Katsumi Harada, Toshiyasu Yukawa, Takashi Ogino
  • Patent number: 10173388
    Abstract: A recording-medium binding device includes a first tooth row including plural teeth and a second tooth row including plural teeth. The first and second tooth rows include a central region and end regions. The plural teeth of each of the first and second tooth rows include at least one tooth disposed in the central region and at least one tooth dispose in each of the end regions. In a process of pinching the recording medium batch, the at least one tooth of the first tooth row in the end region and the at least one tooth of the second tooth row in the end region pinch the recording medium batch earlier than the at least one tooth of the first tooth row in the central region and the at least one tooth of the second tooth row in the central region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2019
    Assignee: FUJI XEROX CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hiroaki Awano, Takuya Makita, Katsumi Harada, Kojiro Tsutsumi, Toshiyasu Yukawa, Takashi Ogino
  • Patent number: 10124979
    Abstract: A binding process device includes an advancing member and a binding process unit. The advancing member advances toward a corner of a recording-medium bundle having multiple edges and having the corner at an intersection position where the edges intersect. The binding process unit performs a binding process on the recording-medium bundle by causing the advancing member to advance toward the corner and is capable of performing the binding process at a first position and at a second position located closer to the intersection position than the first position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 15, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2018
    Assignee: FUJI XEROX CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Takuya Makita, Hiroaki Awano, Yoshinori Nakano, Katsumi Harada, Kojiro Tsutsumi, Yasuhiro Kusumoto, Hiroshi Hagiwara, Junichi Hirota, Emiko Shiraishi
  • Patent number: 10118790
    Abstract: A sheet processing apparatus includes a stack portion on which sheets conveyed in a conveying direction are stacked, a first regulating portion regulating a position of a sheet bundle stacked on the stack portion in a crossing direction crossing the conveying direction by contacting an end of the sheet bundle in the crossing direction, a second regulating portion regulating a position of the sheet bundle in the conveying direction by contacting an end of the sheet bundle in the conveying direction, a first binding device which moves in the crossing direction and binds by a staple, a second binding device which moves and binds without a staple, and a controller which controls the first and second binding devices. The first and second binding devices bind the corner portion of the sheet bundle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2018
    Assignee: CANON FINETECH NISCA INC.
    Inventors: Satoru Matsuki, Daiki Komiya, Kazuhito Shimura
  • Patent number: 10099886
    Abstract: In accordance with an embodiment, a sheet processing apparatus comprises a first tray, a second tray, a third tray, a lower supporting plate, a drive section and a control device. The second tray is located at the lower part of the first tray. The third tray is located at a downstream side with respect to the second tray in a sheet conveyance direction. The lower supporting plate can support the sheet from the lower part. The drive section drives the lower supporting plate. The control device controls the drive section to arrange the lower supporting plate at the downstream side with respect to a conveyance starting point of the sheet in the sheet conveyance direction in a case of skipping the first tray and the second tray to convey the sheet to the third tray.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2018
    Assignees: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA, TOSHIBA TEC KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Mikio Yamamoto
  • Patent number: 10087034
    Abstract: Provided is a recording material processing apparatus including: a first binding processing unit that is provided to be capable of moving on a predetermined movement route and is configured to perform a binding process on a recording material; and a second binding processing unit that is installed on the predetermined movement route, is configured to perform the binding process on the recording material, and is configured to withdraw from the movement route by receiving force from the first binding processing unit which moves along the movement route.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 4, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2018
    Assignee: FUJI XEROX CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Hiroaki Awano
  • Patent number: 10052857
    Abstract: A sheet processing apparatus includes a sheet tray on which one or more sheets to be processed are placed, an adhesive applying unit having an end portion that faces the sheet tray and holds an adhesive material and configured to move towards the sheet tray up to a position at which the end portion is in contact with or proximate to a sheet on the sheet tray and apart from the sheet tray, a pressing member configured to move into and out of a moving path of the adhesive applying unit and a control unit. The control unit is configured to cause the pressing member to be in the moving path of the adhesive applying unit when the pressing member is moved towards the sheet tray, such that the pressing member is pressed against a sheet on the sheet tray by the adhesive applying unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 17, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2018
    Assignees: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA, TOSHIBA TEC KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Jun Ishii
  • Patent number: 10046935
    Abstract: Provided is a multi-banknote cassette with a movable stopper, which is capable of storing various kinds of banknotes at the same time. The multi-banknote cassette includes a movable stopper which is installed in a stack guide for guiding banknotes introduced into a cassette body of the banknote cassette toward a banknote stopper, and rotated to protrude from or retreat into a transfer path of the banknotes. When a banknote having a relatively small size among the banknotes inserted into the banknote cassette is introduced, the movable stopper is rotated to protrude from the stack guide and regulates the front end of the introduced banknote, and when a banknote having a relatively large size is introduced, the movable stopper is rotated to retreat into the stack guide, and a banknote stopper installed at the rear of the stack guide regulates the front end of the introduced bank.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 14, 2018
    Assignee: NAUTILUS HYOSUNG INC.
    Inventor: Jong Woo Kim
  • Patent number: 10046938
    Abstract: In order to enable a press-bound sheet bunch to be easily peeled away from press teeth, the present invention is to provide a sheet bunch processing apparatus with a needleless binding apparatus which includes a pair of press tooth members where a plurality of press teeth extending in a ridge-line direction is formed parallel, presses a part of a sheet bunch between the pair of press tooth members, and thereby performs press binding processing, and with a peeling mechanism which applies a force in a direction substantially parallel with the ridge-line direction of the press teeth to the sheet bunch, and thereby peels the sheet bunch subjected to the press binding processing away from the press teeth of the press tooth members.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 14, 2018
    Assignee: CANON FINETECH NISCA INC.
    Inventors: Daiki Komiyama, Takashi Saito, Isao Kondo
  • Patent number: 10040662
    Abstract: A sheet processing apparatus in which a sheet bundle including a plurality of sheets discharged onto an intermediate processing tray is received in a receiving portion of a stapler and bound with use of a staple, and a sheet bundle including a plurality of sheets discharged onto the intermediate processing tray is received in a receiving portion of a staple-less binding unit having a gap in the thickness direction of the sheets smaller than that of the receiving portion of the stapler and bound without using a staple, wherein when the stapler performs the binding process, the staple-less binding unit is arranged in a position shifted in a width direction orthogonal to a sheet discharge direction from a region on the intermediate processing tray, through which the sheets discharged by a sheet discharging portion pass.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 18, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 7, 2018
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hideto Abe, Yusuke Obuchi
  • Patent number: 10034176
    Abstract: A controller in a wireless communication system includes a transceiver to receive channel activity reports from a first node and a plurality of second nodes that are connected to the first node. The first node supports wireless communication over one or more first channels of a licensed frequency band and second channels of an unlicensed frequency band. The second node supports wireless communication over the second channels of the unlicensed frequency band. The controller also includes a processor to allocate a subset of the second channels to the first node and the plurality of second nodes based on the channel activity reports.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 29, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2018
    Assignees: Alcatel Lucent, Alcatel-Lucent USA Inc.
    Inventors: Michael Schabel, Subramanian Vasudevan, Mohammad R. Khawer, Satish Kanugovi
  • Patent number: 10023419
    Abstract: In accordance with an embodiment, a sheet processing apparatus comprises a processing tray, a longitudinal alignment mechanism, a horizontal alignment mechanism and an interlocking mechanism. The processing tray can stack a sheet. The longitudinal alignment mechanism includes a rotatable paddle. The longitudinal alignment mechanism can align the sheets stacked on the processing tray in a sheet conveyance direction. The horizontal alignment mechanism includes a horizontal alignment plate movable in a sheet width direction orthogonal to the sheet conveyance direction. The horizontal alignment mechanism can align the sheets placed on the processing tray in the sheet width direction. The interlocking mechanism interlocks the paddle in the sheet width direction in synchronization with the movement of the horizontal alignment plate in the sheet width direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2018
    Assignees: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA, TOSHIBA TEC KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Hiroyuki Taki
  • Patent number: 9994408
    Abstract: According to an embodiment, a sheet processing apparatus includes a first tray, a second tray, and a pressing member. The pressing member includes a turning shaft, the turning shaft being located on the downstream side of a transport direction of the sheet to the first tray, relative to an end of the upstream side of the sheet supported in the first tray, and when the sheet is moved from the first tray toward the second tray, rotates about the turning shaft. The pressing member rotates about the turning shaft, to press the sheet toward the second tray at a position on the upstream side relative to the turning shaft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2018
    Assignees: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA, TOSHIBA TEC KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Yasunobu Terao
  • Patent number: 9969144
    Abstract: A post-processing device includes a stacking portion on which media are stacked; a staple binding device that binds the media together by using a staple and that is movable between staple binding positions at which the staple binding device binds the media together and a supply position that is in a front section in a width direction of the media and at which staples are suppliable to the staple binding device; and a stapleless binding device that binds the media together without using a staple and that is movable between a stapleless binding position at which the stapleless binding device binds the media together and a retracted position that is in the front section. When the stapleless binding device is moved to the retracted position, the staple binding device and the stapleless binding device do not interfere with each other irrespective of a position of the staple binding device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 21, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2018
    Assignee: FUJI XEROX CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Hiroaki Awano
  • Patent number: 9915906
    Abstract: A sheet post-processing device of the present disclosure is provided with a punch hole forming device, a processing tray, an ejection tray, a conveyance roller pair, an ejection roller pair, and a stiffening member. In a case where a sheet through which punch holes have been formed is to be ejected on the ejection tray without being subjected to post-processing on the processing tray, in a state where the stiffening member is retracted in a direction away from the sheet, the conveyance roller pair conveys the sheet until at least a tip end thereof reaches on the ejection tray.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 13, 2018
    Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventors: Keisuke Egawa, Yasunori Ueno
  • Patent number: 9908736
    Abstract: A sheet processing apparatus in which a sheet bundle including a plurality of sheets discharged onto an intermediate processing tray is received in a receiving portion of a stapler and bound with use of a staple, and a sheet bundle including a plurality of sheets discharged onto the intermediate processing tray is received in a receiving portion of a staple-less binding unit having a gap in the thickness direction of the sheets smaller than that of the receiving portion of the stapler and bound without using a staple, wherein when the stapler performs the binding process, the staple-less binding unit is arranged in a position shifted in a width direction orthogonal to a sheet discharge direction from a region on the intermediate processing tray, through which the sheets discharged by a sheet discharging portion pass.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 1, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2018
    Assignee: Canon Kaushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hideto Abe, Yusuke Obuchi
  • Patent number: 9849799
    Abstract: An adjustable device positioner is configured for storage and access of a variety of devices, each having a back, a first end, a second end, and a length. The device positioner includes a bin, a tray, and an end rest. The tray is disposed inside the bin and has a back rest surface. The tray is positioned such that the back rest surface supports the backs of the devices. The end rest is operatively connected to one of the bin and the tray. The end rest has an end rest surface configured to support the first ends of the devices. The end rest is movable to and lockable in a selected position to accommodate the lengths of the devices such that the second ends of the devices protrude from both the tray and the bin for easy hand access when the devices are stored in the adjustable device positioner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 15, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2017
    Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC
    Inventors: Timothy A. Kiester, Jason C. Bone, Kenton L. West
  • Patent number: 9823611
    Abstract: A sheet processing device includes: an adhesive-binding unit that applies an adhesive onto sheets stored in a stacker section one by one and adhesive-binds the sheets; a staple-binding unit that staple-binds sheets accumulated in the stacker section by means of staples; and a folding mechanism section having a folding roller that folds the adhesive-bound or staple-bound sheet bundle in two at a binding position of the adhesive-binding unit or staple-binding unit and a folding blade that pushes the bound sheet bundle into the folding roller. A folding speed of the folding mechanism section for the sheet bundle bound by the adhesive-binding unit is lower than a folding speed for the sheet bundle bound by the staple-binding unit; thereby, productivity of the folding processing is improved and occurrence of the peeling-off or break during the folding processing is reduced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2017
    Assignee: CANON FINETECH NISCA INC.
    Inventors: Hisashi Osada, Takashi Saito, Isao Kondo
  • Patent number: 9776821
    Abstract: An apparatus for overlapping and stacking sheets, the apparatus has a housing defining a stacking area and a travel plane for the sheets, a conveyor for transporting the sheets through the housing in a travel direction along a travel plane, and an overlapping device in the housing upstream of the stacking area for producing an overlapping stream of the conveyed sheets. A brake in the overlapping device slows the conveyed sheets of the overlapping stream. Stacking elements include stops projecting upward in the stacking area and serving to position a stack formed by the conveyed sheets of the overlapping stream. A separate frame carrying the stacking elements in the stacking area above the travel plane or extending to above the supply travel plane is mounted in the housing of the apparatus so as to be movable horizontally downstream in the direction away from the overlapping device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 23, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2017
    Assignee: bielomatik LEUZE GMBH + CO. KG
    Inventor: Hansjoerg Klein
  • Patent number: 9751276
    Abstract: A sheet binding device includes a pressurizing unit that pressurizes a sheet bundle to bind the sheet bundle, a pressurizing section that is disposed in the pressurizing unit and configured to be moved from a waiting position separated from the sheet bundle to a pressurizing position at which the pressurizing section pressurizes the sheet bundle, a drive motor that actuates the pressurizing unit, and a controller that controls the drive motor such that the pressurizing section is engaged with the sheet bundle at a predetermined setting velocity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 3, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2017
    Assignees: CANON FINETECH INC., NISCA CORPORATION
    Inventors: Tomoaki Kamiya, Masayuki Kobayashi
  • Patent number: 9736324
    Abstract: A sheet post-processing device is mounted in an image forming apparatus that includes an image reading unit and an image forming unit. The image forming unit is located under the image reading unit with a space therebetween. The sheet post-processing device includes: a first tray that is located in the space and houses a sheet ejected from the image forming unit; a post-processing unit that is located in the space and performs post-processing on a sheet in the first tray; a transfer member that, after the post-processing is performed on a sheet in the first tray, transfers the sheet to a front side of the image forming apparatus; and a second tray that is located closer to the front side of the image forming apparatus than the first tray and houses a sheet transferred by the transfer member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 21, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2017
    Assignee: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.
    Inventors: Riichi Hama, Ryo Morita, Akiyoshi Johdai, Shinobu Seki, Naoya Nakayama, Masaki Matsui, Hidehito Kishi, Shigeki Nozawa
  • Patent number: 9676584
    Abstract: A sheet processing apparatus includes a controller configured to control operations of the pair of aligning members such that a sheet bundle disposed on a first stacking portion is aligned by the pair of aligning members of the pair of aligning members at a position shifted to a side of one aligning member in a width direction perpendicular to the discharge direction of a sheet with respect to a sheet discharge range in which a sheet is discharged at the time of discharging the sheet from a discharge portion, and, before the aligned sheet bundle is discharged to a second stacking portion by a bundle discharge portion, the other aligning member of the pair of aligning members is moved to the outside of the sheet discharge range in the width direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2017
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Rikiya Takemasa
  • Patent number: 9639789
    Abstract: An image processing system includes a process execution control apparatus to control an execution of processes, and an image generation-output control apparatus to control an execution of an image generation-output operation. The process execution control apparatus includes a control-side drawing information generator to generate drawing information, and a process allocator to allocate a plurality of text information adding processes to the process execution control apparatus and the image generation-output control apparatus when generating the drawing information. The image generation-output control apparatus includes an output-side drawing information generator corresponding to the control-side drawing information generator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 29, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 2, 2017
    Assignee: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventor: Yuji Tokushima
  • Patent number: 9617110
    Abstract: To suppress the bending of sheets, a sheet conveying apparatus includes a sheet conveying portion including an abutting portion for abutting against an end portion of the sheet supported by a supporting portion and which conveys the sheet being abutted against the abutting portion by moving in a predetermined moving direction, and a pressing portion which is provided on the sheet conveying portion such that the pressing portion is movable in a thickness direction of the sheet and which presses the sheet toward the supporting portion. The pressing portion includes an inclined portion arranged to be closer to the supporting portion at an upstream side than a downstream side, and a contacting portion configured to contact a surface of the sheet being abutted against the abutting portion to press the sheet to the supporting portion at a position distant from the abutting portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2017
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Akito Sekigawa
  • Patent number: 9567177
    Abstract: When a face of a paper sheet to be discharged on which an image is formed faces downward, a paper discharge device divides an image region of image data on the paper sheet to be discharged into areas along a discharge direction, detects an area in which maximum image density for each divided area is higher than or equal to a specified threshold, and controls a discharge angle so that the detected area does not come into contact with a stacked paper sheet until the paper sheet to be discharged has been discharged from a discharge roller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 22, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2017
    Assignee: RISO KAGAKU CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hiroshi Sugitani, Akihiro Tsumura, Tetsunori Saito
  • Patent number: 9568880
    Abstract: A sheet processing apparatus includes a binding unit configured to perform binding processing by pressing a sheet bundle, a motor configured to drive the binding unit to press the sheet bundle, and a motor control unit configured to set a driving current of the motor and an upper limit value of the driving current, the motor control unit being configured to set the driving current when starting activating the motor in a state where the binding unit is not pressing the sheet bundle to a first value, and set the upper limit value of the driving current in a period in which the binding unit is pressing the sheet bundle to a second value less than or equal to the first value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 21, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2017
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yoshitaka Yamazaki, Hiroshi Saito, Tetsuro Fukusaka, Shigemi Kumagai
  • Patent number: 9505580
    Abstract: Provided is a sheet material binding apparatus capable of shortening a user's waiting time required to bind sheets through a manual operation with a movable stapler. A CPU (162) of a sheet material binding apparatus (50) monitors whether or not an image forming apparatus (1) can execute image formation processing. When the image forming apparatus (1) can execute the image formation processing, the movable stapler is arranged at a standby position close to the image forming apparatus (1). When the image forming apparatus (1) cannot execute the image formation processing, on the other hand, the movable stapler is arranged at a position for performing the manual operation, to thereby bind the sheets through the manual operation immediately.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2016
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yousuke Hata, Kazumi Sato, Toshifumi Kakutani, Takeyuki Suda, Yoshitaka Yamazaki, Hirohisa Kato, Shinya Suzuki
  • Patent number: 9501021
    Abstract: A sheet processing apparatus includes a binding unit configured to perform binding processing by pressing a sheet bundle, a motor configured to drive the binding unit to press the sheet bundle, a speed detection unit configured to detect a speed of the motor, a voltage detection unit configured to detect a driving voltage of the motor, and a motor control unit configured to determine an upper limit value of a driving current of the motor based on the speed detected by the speed detection unit and the driving voltage detected by the voltage detection unit in a period when the motor is being driven and the binding unit is not pressing the sheet bundle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 21, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2016
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Yoshitaka Yamazaki
  • Patent number: 9409742
    Abstract: A post-processing device includes a device main body, a processing tray, a placed sheet processing part, a stack tray, a detecting part, a stack tray driving part and a sheet conveying part. The processing part carries out post-process to the sheet placed on the processing tray. The stack tray stacks the sheet ejected from a sheet ejection port. The detecting part detects whether or not the stack tray or the sheet on the stack tray is positioned at a detected position below the sheet ejection port. When the sheet is ejected without the post-process, in a detectable case, the conveying part ejects the sheet without placing on the processing tray and, in an undetectable case, the conveying part places the sheet on the processing tray without ejecting to the stack tray until it becomes detectable, and then, ejects the sheet on the processing tray after it becomes detectable.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 9, 2016
    Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventors: Seiichi Shirasaki, Takeshi Matsuo
  • Patent number: 9409738
    Abstract: Sheet discharge preparation is performed in a finisher that is different to the stacking apparatus, before the discharge of sheets to the stacking apparatus is interrupted by the operation of the stacking apparatus for sliding stacked sheets to a position for user retrieval. When sheet discharge preparation is performed in the finisher, a second job in which sheets are discharged to the finisher is executed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 10, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 9, 2016
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Kazuhide Hasegawa
  • Patent number: 9405263
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a feeder having a longer side direction orthogonal to a conveyance direction of a recording medium, and feeds a maximum size recording medium with a longer side first, an image forming unit having a maximum sheet feed width corresponding to a longer side length of the maximum size recording medium, and prints a toner image onto the recording medium, and a sub feeder that can feed the maximum size recording medium to the image forming unit independently from the feeder. A post processing apparatus receives a printed recording medium and executes post processing on a side of the recording medium. A feeding source of the maximum size recording medium is selected from the feeder and the sub feeder for executing the post processing on the longer and shorter sides of the maximum size recording medium, respectively.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 14, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 2, 2016
    Assignee: KONICA MINOLTA BUSINESS TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
    Inventors: Hiroshi Sendo, Teruo Nagashima, Osamu Okada, Hideyuki Kurahashi, Kenji Tsuru, Shigeo Nakamura
  • Patent number: 9335701
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a storage section and a job executing section including a printing section and a finishing processing section. The finishing processing section performs stapling processing on a paper sheaf based on a stapling pattern designated by a user that stipulates position and number of one or more stapling points. The storage section stores a threshold sheet number as a determination criterion for whether to execute damage restriction processing. When a target paper sheaf is smaller than the threshold sheet number, the job executing section executes, as the damage restriction processing, one or more of: first processing of ejecting paper without stapling processing; second processing of performing stapling processing after increasing the number of sheets in the target paper sheaf to the threshold sheet number; and third processing of performing stapling processing at a larger number of stapling points than stipulated by the designated stapling pattern.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 10, 2016
    Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventor: Toru Michigami
  • Patent number: 9315356
    Abstract: According to an aspect of an embodiment, a sheet processing apparatus includes: a conveying unit configured to convey sheets; a stacking unit configured to stack the conveyed sheets to form a sheet stack; and a binding unit configured to include a pair of toothed jaw and bind the sheet stack by pressing the sheet stack between the pair of toothed jaw, wherein at least one portion of edges of the toothed jaw is rounded.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2016
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Ryuji Yoshida, Nobuyoshi Suzuki, Shingo Matsushita, Katsuhiro Kosuge, Yuusuke Shibasaki, Wataru Takahashi, Takashi Saito, Akihiro Musha, Takuya Morinaga, Ikuhisa Okamoto, Nagayasu Yoshida, Hirotaka Hayashi
  • Patent number: 9310726
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a fixing part, a first conveying part, a second conveying part, a biasing member and a separation supporting mechanism. The first conveying part following the fixing part includes rollers to convey a sheet at second linear velocity faster than first linear velocity of the fixing part. The second conveying part following the first conveying part conveys the sheet at third linear velocity faster than the first linear velocity near a heating rotation body of the fixing part from a first reference line passing through nip parts of the fixing part and first conveying part. The separation supporting mechanism supports one roller in a direction separating from another roller and receives force from the sheet in the separating direction to the one roller when the second conveying part conveys the sheet to withdraw the one roller in the separating direction from the first reference line.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 1, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2016
    Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventor: Tomohisa Ono
  • Patent number: 9294640
    Abstract: A sheet post-processing device is mounted in an image forming apparatus that includes an image reading unit and an image forming unit. The image forming unit is located under the image reading unit with a space therebetween. The sheet post-processing device includes: a first tray that is located in the space and houses a sheet ejected from the image forming unit; a post-processing unit that is located in the space and performs post-processing on a sheet in the first tray; a transfer member that, after the post-processing is performed on a sheet in the first tray, transfers the sheet to a front side of the image forming apparatus; and a second tray that is located closer to the front side of the image forming apparatus than the first tray and houses a sheet transferred by the transfer member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 21, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2016
    Assignee: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.
    Inventors: Riichi Hama, Ryo Morita, Akiyoshi Johdai, Shinobu Seki, Naoya Nakayama, Masaki Matsui, Hidehito Kishi, Shigeki Nozawa
  • Patent number: 9259894
    Abstract: A sheet processing apparatus includes: a binding unit that sandwiches and binds a plurality of sheets by using a convex portion and a concave portion; a moving unit that moves at least one of the convex portion and the concave portion; a drive unit that drives the moving unit; and a control unit that controls the drive unit so that a state in which the binding unit sandwiches the plurality of sheets at a predetermined pressing force by using a driving force from the drive unit is retained for a predetermined time period, and so that the one of the convex portion and the concave portion is moved in a direction away from the another of the convex portion and the concave portion after the predetermined time period has elapsed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 16, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 16, 2016
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hideto Abe, Yusuke Obuchi, Yoshitaka Yamazaki
  • Patent number: 9238381
    Abstract: The purpose of the present invention is to provide a sheet bundle binding processing apparatus capable of performing a binding process on a sheet bundle set at a manual setting portion and a sheet bundle set on a processing tray, respectively, with a simple structure at low cost. The present invention comprises a sheet bundle binding processing apparatus including an external casing, a manual setting portion which is integrally formed with the external casing and to which a sheet bundle is inserted, a binding device which performs a staple-binding process on the sheet bundle inserted to the manual setting portion as being movable between a binding position where the sheet bundle of the manual setting portion is bound and a staple replenishment position where staples are replenished, and an open-close cover which is arranged at the external casing at a position being different from the manual setting portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 19, 2016
    Assignees: CANON FINETECH INC., NISCA CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yusuke Obuchi, Yuki Nishi, Shin Tsugane