Including Stack Presentation Patents (Class 270/58.11)
  • Patent number: 9033330
    Abstract: A first discharging portion that discharges a sheet received from one of image forming apparatus and a second discharging portion discharges a sheet received from another image forming apparatus are disposed opposite each other to stack the sheets discharged in a common processing tray. A controller controls the first and second discharging portions when the sheets are continuously discharged by the first and second discharging portions, controls a timing when the sheets are discharged by the first discharging portion and the second discharging portion to the common processing tray such that a leading edge of the sheet discharged from one of the discharging portions abuts on a sheet surface in the downstream of a discharging direction below a leading edge of the sheet discharged from the other discharging portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 19, 2015
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Naoto Tokuma
  • Patent number: 9016681
    Abstract: To provide a sheet storage apparatus for enabling sheets that are carried out of an image formation apparatus or the like on the upstream side to be loaded and stored in a predetermined position with a correct posture neatly at high speed, a sheet discharge roller and a reverse roller spaced a distance are disposed in a sheet discharge outlet and a tray, a kick member is provided to be swingable in a vertical direction passing a sheet discharge path of a sheet discharged from the sheet discharge outlet, and a posture of the kick member is controlled by shift means. The shift means controls the kick member among a waiting posture retracted upward from the sheet discharge path, an engagement posture for imposing a load on the sheet to engage, and an actuation posture dropping onto the tray together with the sheet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 2, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 28, 2015
    Assignee: Nisca Corporation
    Inventors: Tsuyoshi Mizubata, Naoya Nakayama, Daiki Komiyama, Hisashi Osada, Kenji Yoshida, Eiji Fukasawa
  • Patent number: 9010744
    Abstract: A sheet processing apparatus includes a projection forming unit configured to form a projection on a sheet. The projection is formed in the vicinity of a binding portion of a sheet bundle. When a succeeding sheet bundle is discharged on the sheet bundle in which the projection has been formed on a top surface thereof, the succeeding sheet bundle is stacked by moving on the already stacked sheet bundle without being caught by the binding portion of the already stacked sheet bundle as an end of the succeeding sheet bundle is guided by the projection.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2015
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Naoto Tokuma, Rikiya Takemasa, Hideki Kushida
  • Patent number: 9010743
    Abstract: When information about weight of a sheet indicates weight less than a predetermined weight, a sheet stacking apparatus configured to align sheets to be stacked on a stacking tray discharges the sheet onto the stacking tray while overlapping the sheet with another sheet by an overlapping unit, and, when the information about the weight of the sheet indicates weight not less than the predetermined weight, the sheet stacking apparatus discharges the sheet onto the stacking tray without overlapping the sheet with another sheet by the overlapping unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2015
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Toshiyuki Miyake, Mitsuhiko Sato, Shunsuke Nishimura, Takashi Yokoya, Hiromasa Maenishi, Yutaka Ando, Nozomi Kumakura, Akihiro Arai
  • Patent number: 9004481
    Abstract: In a provided apparatus, an upper roller to be engaged with a sheet upper face and a lower roller to be engaged with a sheet lower face are arranged at a sheet discharging port in a manner capable of being pressure-contacted and being separated, the upper roller is formed with a large-diameter soft roll face and a small-diameter hard roll face, and a pressurization force of roller lifting-lowering means with which the upper roller is pressure-contacted to and is separated from the lower roller is switched to be high or low.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2015
    Assignees: Riso Kagaku Corporation, Nisca Corporation
    Inventors: Hideki Mimura, Kenta Idezuki, Kenichi Sano
  • Patent number: 8919767
    Abstract: A method for producing a bundle composed of book blocks includes gathering a plurality of printed sheets to form respective book blocks. The plurality of the book blocks are positioned with the same orientation and respectively positioned on lower edges of the printed sheets. Respectively two adjacent book blocks are offset from one another parallel to the lower edges of the printed sheets and transverse to a height of the bundle to be formed, such that a side edge of one of the two book block projects relative to a side edge of the adjacent book block. Thereafter the offset book blocks are combined to form the bundle and the bundle is compressed to fix the offset position of the book blocks.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 2, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 30, 2014
    Assignee: Mueller Martini Holding AG
    Inventor: Konrad Boos
  • Patent number: 8905395
    Abstract: A sheet processing apparatus performs predetermined processing on a sheet or a sheet bundle. The sheet processing apparatus includes: a conveying unit that conveys a sheet along a conveying path; an aligning unit that, each time a sheet is conveyed by the conveying unit, aligns the sheet; a stacking unit that reverses a conveying direction of a sheet to convey the sheet backward to a branch path branched from the conveying path, and stacks the sheet in the branch path; and a binding unit that binds a sheet bundle aligned by the aligning unit, in the conveying path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 9, 2014
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Limited
    Inventors: Nobuyoshi Suzuki, Shingo Matsushita, Takashi Saito, Satoshi Saito, Makoto Hidaka, Katsuhiro Kosuge, Akihiro Musha, Shohichi Satoh, Ikuhisa Okamoto
  • Patent number: 8905394
    Abstract: A sheet post-processing apparatus that is capable of aligning a sheet bundle accurately even if sheet types like sheet sizes are different, and is capable of setting a reference position depending on a selected finish. A conveyance unit conveys a sheet. A sheet stacking unit stacks sheets conveyed by the conveyance unit as a sheet bundle. A stapler applies a staple process to the sheet bundle stacked on the sheet stacking unit. A position determination unit determines a staple position at which the staple process is applied to the sheet bundle. An alignment unit aligns the sheets stacked on the sheet stacking unit in a direction perpendicular to a sheet conveyance direction with respect to one of both sides parallel to the sheet conveyance direction. The alignment unit determines the one side as a reference side depending on the staple position determined by the position determination unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 4, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 9, 2014
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Toshiyuki Miyake, Mitsuhiko Sato, Takashi Yokoya, Hiromasa Maenishi, Yutaka Ando, Akihiro Arai
  • Patent number: 8899569
    Abstract: A sheet processing apparatus according to an embodiment comprises a processing tray configured to receive sheets to be processed, the processing tray having an ejecting side from which sheets are ejected, and a loading tray provided downstream from the processing tray in a sheet ejecting direction and configured to receive sheets ejected from the processing tray. The sheet processing apparatus further comprises a bending restrainer including a restraining member extending almost parallel to the processing tray and covering a portion of the ejecting side of the processing tray, the restraining member configured to restrain bending of sheets ejected from the processing tray to the loading tray.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 1, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 2, 2014
    Assignees: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba, Toshiba Tec Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Naofumi Soga
  • Patent number: 8882100
    Abstract: A post-processing device includes a sheet-bundle forming unit that stacks plural sheets and forms a sheet bundle; a binding unit that forms a cut in the sheet bundle, forms a tongue in the sheet bundle by cutting part of the sheet bundle into a predetermined shape so that a first end remains uncut and continues to the sheet bundle, and binds the sheet bundle by folding the tongue and inserting a second end of the tongue into the cut; a transport unit that transports the sheet bundle; a stack unit that stacks the sheet bundle; and a position change unit that changes a position of binding processing performed on the sheet bundle so that the tongue formed in the sheet bundle stacked on the stack unit does not contact another tongue formed in another sheet bundle stacked on the stack unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 11, 2014
    Assignee: Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Hiroaki Awano
  • Patent number: 8882106
    Abstract: A post-processing apparatus which enable reduction of shift alignment time and improvement of productivity. A shift unit performs a shifting operation for shifting a conveyed sheet, in a lateral direction orthogonal to a sheet conveying direction. An alignment unit aligns the sheet by a pair of alignment members thereof which are moved toward each other such side edges of the sheet in the lateral direction are held therebetween. A CPU of a finisher controller controls the alignment unit and the shift unit such that an operation for moving the alignment members from respective first standby positions in the lateral direction to respective second standby positions closer to the sheet than the corresponding first standby positions is executed in parallel with the shifting operation by the shift unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 4, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 11, 2014
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hiromasa Maenishi, Takashi Yokoya
  • Patent number: 8870175
    Abstract: A pressing portion is lowered to press from above sheets or a sheet bundle discharged onto a discharge tray, and a moving portion configured to lower the pressing portion is controlled so that, in a case where the sheet bundle is discharged onto the discharge tray, the pressing portion exerts a pressing force greater than a pressing force in a case where the sheets are discharged onto the discharge tray.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 28, 2014
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Yohei Gamo
  • Patent number: 8870176
    Abstract: A sheet processing apparatus includes: a stacking unit that stacks conveyed sheets; an aligning unit that aligns the sheets stacked on the stacking unit in a sheet conveying direction; a binding unit that moves along an end portion of a bundle of the sheets on a binding portion side and performs a binding process for the bundle of the sheets that have been aligned by the aligning unit; a pressing unit that presses the bundle of the sheets at the end portion thereof on the binding portion side; and an interlocking unit that moves the pressing unit in association with a motion of the binding unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 13, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 28, 2014
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Limited
    Inventor: Kazuya Yamamoto
  • Patent number: 8870177
    Abstract: A sheet processing apparatus, including an ejection section; a sheet stacking section; an abutting unit; a driving section; a control section; and a rotating member which has a rotating shaft in parallel with a width direction of the sheet bundle and is held so as to rotate from above the base end portion of the sheet stacking section through a gap of a predetermined width in the abutting unit. The control section starts rotation of the rotating member after lowering of the sheet stacking section is stopped, and when the rotation is started, the rotating member operates so as to abut a rear portion of a surface of the sheet bundle stacked on the sheet stacking section and pass through the gap in the abutting unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 28, 2014
    Assignee: Konica Minolta, Inc.
    Inventor: Yu Tanaka
  • Patent number: 8867057
    Abstract: This invention relates to a printing system configured to output printing media having undergone print processing by a print apparatus to a plurality of destinations including a specific destination which has a structure allowing an operator to take out the printing media. In the system, output of printing media to the specific destination is restricted while the operator takes out the printing medium outputted to the specific destination, and in case that the number of printing media necessary for a job processed by the print apparatus is smaller than a predetermined number, the system is controlled not to output to the specific destination a printed material formed from printing media smaller in number than the predetermined number. This invention can achieve efficient printing by controlling not to stop the print operation of the system as much as possible.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 21, 2014
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Akira Negishi
  • Patent number: 8844920
    Abstract: During stapling operations: connectors disconnect a compiler platform from an elevator platform; an ejector structure is maintained in a fully retracted position to allow a stack of sheets to be within a stapling area; a stapling device staples the stack of sheets in the stapling area; the ejector structure moves the stapled set of sheets to the elevator platform; and the elevator platform moves in a downward direction after the ejector structure moves the stapled set of sheets to the elevator platform. During non-stapling stacking operations: the connectors connect the compiler platform to the elevator platform; the ejector structure is maintained in a middle position between a fully retracted position and a fully ejected position to prevent the sheets from entering the stapling area; and the elevator platform and the compiler platform move together in the downward direction as additional sheets are added to the stack of sheets.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 14, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 30, 2014
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventors: Brian J. Dunham, Carlos M. Terrero
  • Patent number: 8844922
    Abstract: A sheet processing apparatus which enables a sheet to be stopped at a target position with precision even when the sheet is stopped by moving a heavy unit such as a shift unit. A drive unit moves a moving unit so as to move a sheet, which is being conveyed, in a direction perpendicular to a conveying direction of the sheet. An output unit detects movement of the moving unit and output a signal in synchronization with movement of the moving unit. A control unit issues a stop instruction to the drive unit based on a delay time from when a start instruction to the drive unit is issued until when the signal in synchronization with the movement of the drive unit is output, and a target moving amount required for the moving unit to move to a target position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 7, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 30, 2014
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Naoki Ishikawa, Hitoshi Kato
  • Patent number: 8844921
    Abstract: A sheet post-processing apparatus according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes a switching member, a stapler, and a movement driving portion. The switching member switches the conveying direction of a sheet introduced from an image forming apparatus. The stapler staples a bundle of sheets obtained by performing stacking processing for a plurality of the sheets introduced from the image forming apparatus. The movement driving portion moves the stapler. Further, the stapler operates the switching member by being moved by the movement driving portion, thereby switching the conveying direction of the sheet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 30, 2014
    Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions, Inc.
    Inventor: Keiji Okumura
  • Patent number: 8840099
    Abstract: A binding apparatus performs a binding process by bonding the end side of the sheet bundle, and is provided with a notch cutter that forms a notch in the end side used in the sheet binding process in the middle of the sheet conveyance path of the binding apparatus. The notch-forming unit includes a pair of sheet conveyance guides for forming a part of the sheet conveyance path, a cutter provided in a rotatably supported bracket, and a biasing means for applying a force to the cutter to face the sheet conveyance path formed by a pair of the sheet conveyance guides at all times.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 23, 2014
    Assignee: Gradco Japan Ltd.
    Inventors: Kazushige Masunari, Yumiko Kato, Kuniaki Kimura, Hiroshi Tsuchiya
  • Patent number: 8833751
    Abstract: A sheet processing apparatus capable of shortening a time period required to determine whether or not a sheet bundle has been normally stapled, while suppressing an increase of apparatus size and an increase of apparatus manufacturing cost, and capable of stacking sheet bundles on a sheet discharge tray such that sheet bundles not normally stapled can be distinguished from normally stapled sheet bundles. When the absence of staple is detected in a sheet bundle by one or both of staple detecting sensors, sheet bundles starting from a sheet bundle to be discharged next are shifted on a processing tray, whereby a sheet discharge position of the next and subsequent sheet bundles on the sheet discharge tray is changed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 16, 2014
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Naoki Ishikawa, Hitoshi Kato
  • Patent number: 8827257
    Abstract: A sheet processing device includes a supporting plate, a stapler, a casing, a protrusion structure, and a swinging arm. The casing is disposed over the supporting plate. A sheet conveying channel is formed between the supporting plate and the casing. The protrusion structure is disposed on a lower surface of the casing, located beside the stapler and accommodated within the sheet conveying channel. During the process of introducing a sheet into the supporting plate, the stapled side of the sheet is flattened by the protrusion structure, and thus the possibility of upturning the sheet is minimized. During the process of introducing the plural sheets to the stapler, the stapled sides of the plural sheets are flattened by the protrusion structure, and thus the formation of the folded corners of the sheets is avoided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 9, 2014
    Assignee: Primax Electronics Ltd.
    Inventors: Chung-Kai Wang, Wen-Lung Hung, Chung-Jung Chiu
  • Patent number: 8770571
    Abstract: A sheet stacking apparatus includes an alignment unit configured to align a sheet stacked on a stacking tray in a width direction which is orthogonal to a direction in which the sheet is discharged. The alignment unit includes first and second alignment members configured to move in the width direction. The first and second alignment members come into contact with side ends in the width direction of the sheet stacked on the stacking tray to align the sheet. When a second sheet of a different length in the width direction from that of a first sheet is stacked while shifted in the width direction on the first sheet which is already stacked on the stacking tray, the sheet stacking apparatus prohibits an alignment operation of the alignment unit on the second sheet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 19, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 8, 2014
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yutaka Ando, Shunsuke Nishimura, Takashi Yokoya, Hitoshi Kato
  • Patent number: 8770570
    Abstract: A sheet processing device provided with a stacking unit configured to stack thereon one or more conveyed sheets, a staple unit configured to staple a bundle of sheets stacked on the stacking unit, a moving unit configured to move the staple unit to a staple position, and a projecting and retrieving unit configured to project and retrieve the stacking unit in a space overlapped with a motion space for the staple unit to move therein.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 20, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 8, 2014
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Limited
    Inventor: Shigefumi Soga
  • Patent number: 8770569
    Abstract: A sheet processing apparatus is disclosed which includes front and back trailing-end reference fences that are movable and on which the sheet trailing-end abuts to align the sheet trailing-end; a side-stitching stapler that moves along the sheet trailing-end and binds a bundle of sheets aligned; a length-direction moving mechanism that moves the trailing-end reference fences in a sheet conveying direction; and a position changing unit that drives the length-direction moving mechanism to change the position of one of the trailing-end reference fences in the sheet conveying direction relative to the position of the other one. The front and back trailing-end reference fences are moved to change binding positions such that the distances from the sheet trailing-end to staple positions are made equal in front-side binding and in back-side binding.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 8, 2014
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Limited
    Inventors: Tomohiro Furuhashi, Masahiro Tamura, Shuuya Nagasako, Keisuke Sugiyama, Yuusuke Shibasaki, Kazuya Yamamoto, Kyosuke Nakada, Tomomichi Hoshino, Yasuo Niikura, Junya Suzuki, Kazunori Konno, Akira Kunieda, Takahiro Watanabe, Tomohiro Yoshizaki, Kiichiro Goto
  • Patent number: 8774702
    Abstract: There are provided a sheet post-processing apparatus which can reliably stack a sheet bundle in imbricated state without bending it and an image forming apparatus having the same. A sheet post-processing apparatus includes: a stacking portion which stacks a folded sheet bundle subjected to the folding process; a discharge portion which discharges the folded sheet bundle onto the stacking portion with the folded end thereof set to the leading position; and a conveying portion which conveys the folded sheet bundle stacked onto the stacking portion, wherein the conveying portion starts the conveyance of a previous folded sheet bundle at the timing at which the folded end of a next folded sheet bundle discharged by the discharge portion is abutted onto the previous folded sheet bundle which is being conveyed to the downstream side in the discharge direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 15, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 8, 2014
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Akito Sekigawa
  • Patent number: 8752818
    Abstract: A bookbinding device and a print-medium post-treatment apparatus having the same. In the bookbinding device, when a print medium drops and is loaded a stack plate, a drop position of a leading end of the print medium is changed according to a size of the print medium. This prevents sequence upset of print media when the print media are stacked one above another on the stack plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 17, 2014
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Ji Hoon Min, Chang Soo Byun
  • Patent number: 8746670
    Abstract: A bundle of identical book blocks composed of a plurality of folded print sheets or signatures standing upright on lower edges of the printed sheets or book blocks. The book blocks are formed with first and last book block sections having different dimensions. A quadrangular bundle is formed from the book blocks by aligning first limit surfaces of the book block sections flush with each other along one of the two side surfaces or along the upper or lower surfaces of the bundle so that a second limit surface of the first book block section opposite the first limit surface of the first book block section projects with an offset with respect to a limit surface of the last book block section opposite the first limit surface of the last book block section. The bundle is compressed and then secured.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 10, 2014
    Assignee: Mueller Martini Holding AG
    Inventor: Konrad Boos
  • Publication number: 20140151950
    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: Application
    Filed: November 12, 2013
    Publication date: June 5, 2014
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yousuke Hata, Kazumi Sato, Toshifumi Kakutani, Takeyuki Suda, Yoshitaka Yamazaki, Hirohisa Kato, Shinya Suzuki
  • Publication number: 20140151951
    Abstract: A postprocessing apparatus includes a stacking unit that stacks a sheet, an abutting unit that corrects a conveying direction of the sheet, a return roller that abuts the sheet against the abutting unit, a shift conveying unit that shifts the sheet in a width direction, and a width direction detector that detects a width direction position of the sheet. When the sheet is shifted by the shift conveying unit by a predetermined amount, passed to the return roller, and abutted against the abutting unit, distances A and B are nearly the same, where the distance A is a distance from a conveying direction position of a side of the sheet to a rear end of the sheet and the distance B is a distance from the return roller to the abutting unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 27, 2013
    Publication date: June 5, 2014
    Applicant: RICOH COMPANY, LIMITED
    Inventors: Yuusuke SHIBASAKI, Nobuyoshi SUZUKI, Katsuhiro KOSUGE, Takashi SAITO, Shingo MATSUSHITA, Akihiro MUSHA, Ikuhisa OKAMOTO, Wataru TAKAHASHI, Takuya MORINAGA, Ryuji YOSHIDA
  • Publication number: 20140138896
    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: Application
    Filed: November 6, 2013
    Publication date: May 22, 2014
    Applicant: Ricoh Company, Limited
    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: 8714547
    Abstract: A paper discharge apparatus including, a paper loading portion for loading a paper which is discharged; a paper rear-end abutting portion which a rear end of paper in a paper conveying direction abuts; a pair of paper holding members for holding the paper at the paper holding position when the paper is discharged; a paper holding member moving device which is connected to at least one of the pair of the paper holding members and moves the pair of the paper holding members from a paper holding position to a paper loading position; when the pair of the paper holding members reach the paper loading position, the paper holding member moving device moves at least one of the pair of the paper holding members in the opposite direction of the paper conveying direction and makes the rear end of the holding paper abut the paper rear-end abutting portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 11, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 6, 2014
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Masaaki Uchiyama, Hiroyuki Wakabayashi, Tsutomu Anezaki
  • Patent number: 8714538
    Abstract: When information about weight of a sheet indicates weight less than a predetermined weight, a sheet stacking apparatus configured to align sheets to be stacked on a stacking tray discharges the sheet onto the stacking tray while overlapping the sheet with another sheet by an overlapping unit, and, when the information about the weight of the sheet indicates weight not less than the predetermined weight, the sheet stacking apparatus discharges the sheet onto the stacking tray without overlapping the sheet with another sheet by the overlapping unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 2, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 6, 2014
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Toshiyuki Miyake, Mitsuhiko Sato, Shunsuke Nishimura, Takashi Yokoya, Hiromasa Maenishi, Yutaka Ando, Nozomi Kumakura, Akihiro Arai
  • Patent number: 8708325
    Abstract: Disclosed is a paper clamping apparatus for an office machine adapted to clamp a paper bundle outputted from the office machine while the paper bundle is being moved. A movable body adapted to move along a shaft by means of belt driving is included; a shaft holder connected to an end of the shaft at an end of the movable body and adapted to move along the shaft by means of a movement of the movable body; a base connected to the shaft at the other end of the movable body and adapted to move along the shaft by means of a movement of the movable body; and a clamp member adapted to operate so that, when the movable body moves, the paper bundle is clamped or released by means of link driving.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 21, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 29, 2014
    Assignee: Sindoh Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: In Su Hwang, Jung Hwan Yoon
  • Patent number: 8690145
    Abstract: Disclosed is an image forming system including an image forming device which includes a paper feeding tray, a print section which performs printing to papers fed from the paper feeding tray and a control section which controls so as to feed the printed papers to a post-processing device as a booklet main body to be book-bound, and the post-processing device which carries out ring-binding processing to the fed papers and book-binds a booklet, and the control section controls so as to feed a front cover paper, a back cover paper, papers for binding of the booklet to a ring-binding process section of the post-processing device along with the booklet main body, and a paper feeding order is in an order of the back cover paper, the papers for binding, the front cover paper and the booklet main body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 16, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2014
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Takanori Togawa
  • Patent number: 8684345
    Abstract: In a paper-sheet post-processing device, a paper-sheet aligning unit has: a main unit; a paper-sheet holding part which holds paper-sheets supported on a paper-sheet supporting unit; a cam mechanism which places the paper-sheet pressing part close to and separate from the paper-sheet supporting unit; and an aligning mechanism which aligns the paper-sheets supported on the paper-sheet supporting unit with a standard position by rotation of the aligning member; and the main unit has a rotation shaft rotatably supported axially by a first support part and a second support part and the cam member and aligning member are arranged to be fixed to the rotation shaft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 1, 2014
    Assignee: Kyocera Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventor: Takeshi Matsuo
  • Patent number: 8678368
    Abstract: In an embodiment, a post-processing apparatus includes: a stacking tray; an upward and downward driving unit; a binding unit; and an upward and downward driving control unit. The upward and downward driving unit drives the stacking tray in vertical direction. The binding unit performs binding on recording media on the stacking tray. The upward and downward driving control unit controls such that: descent of the stacking tray is performed before a leading edge of a first sheet among the recording media on which the binding is to be performed reaches a position on the stacking tray; and after the leading edge of the first sheet is positioned on the stacking tray, ascent of the stacking tray is performed before a leading edge of a second sheet among the recording media reaches a position on the stacking tray.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 1, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 25, 2014
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Limited
    Inventor: Hiroki Yoshida
  • Publication number: 20140077437
    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: Application
    Filed: September 19, 2013
    Publication date: March 20, 2014
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hideto Abe, Yusuke Obuchi
  • Patent number: 8672313
    Abstract: A sheet processing device for stacking one or more sheets temporarily on a stacking unit, and stapling the sheets by a stapling unit after aligned by an alignment unit. The device includes a shift unit that shifts the sheet in both a sheet conveying direction and a direction orthogonal to the sheet conveying direction, and a control unit that controls a shift amount of the shift unit so that an alignment distance of a width direction alignment unit to align the sheet in the direction orthogonal to the sheet conveying direction is constant regardless of a staple position and a sheet size, when stacking the sheets on the stacking unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 17, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 18, 2014
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Limited
    Inventor: Kentaroh Fukami
  • Patent number: 8662489
    Abstract: A sheet stacking apparatus includes a discharge unit, a stacking tray, an acquisition unit, a shift control unit, and an alignment unit. The shift control unit controls a stacking position of a sheet in a sheet width direction in response to shift information acquired by the acquisition unit. The alignment unit aligns a sheet staked on the stacking tray and moves to a position that abuts on a side edge of the sheet in the sheet width direction to align the sheet. The shift control unit controls a stacking position of a second sheet to stack the second sheet on a second position or on a first position depending on where a first sheet is stacked and on shift information of the second sheet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 19, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 4, 2014
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Akihiro Arai, Mitsuhiko Sato, Shunsuke Nishimura, Toshiyuki Miyake, Takashi Yokoya, Hiromasa Maenishi, Yutaka Ando, Nozomi Kumakura
  • Patent number: 8641030
    Abstract: A control apparatus that controls a stapling unit configured to staple sheets includes a control unit configured to determine a turning-over direction of sheets to be stapled by the stapling unit and to determine a maximum number of staplable sheets according to the determined turning-over direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2014
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Hirochika Sato
  • Publication number: 20140021675
    Abstract: A sheet buffer apparatus retains a sheet to be conveyed to a post-processing unit and is configured to perform post-processing for a sheet. The apparatus comprises a buffer unit configured to perform buffer processing to retain a sheet to be conveyed to the post-processing unit and overlay the sheet to be retained and a succeeding sheet, a determination unit configured to determine whether a sheet is inhibited from the buffer processing by the buffer unit, and a control unit configured, when the determination unit determines that the sheet succeeding the sheet to be retained is a sheet for which the buffer processing is inhibited, to control the buffer unit not to perform the retaining of the sheet to be retained.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 20, 2013
    Publication date: January 23, 2014
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Toshiyuki MIYAKE, Mitsuhiko SATO, Takashi YOKOYA, Yutaka ANDO, Hidenori MATSUMOTO
  • Patent number: 8632067
    Abstract: A post-processing device includes a transport section transporting a sheet transported at a predetermined speed from an upstream side toward a downstream side; a load section on which the transported sheet is loaded; an aligner aligning the loaded sheet; an alignment controller performing control such that the aligner performs the alignment process on the sheet transported from the transport section to the load section for every predetermined number of sheets; and a transport controller controlling the transport section by causing the transport section to transport the sheet at a reduced speed for the every predetermined number of sheets so that the sheet transported at the reduced speed reaches the load section after the aligner completes the sheet alignment process that is performed on a previous sheet transported immediately prior to the sheet after the previous sheet is loaded on the load section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 21, 2014
    Assignee: Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Hiroaki Awano
  • Patent number: 8632065
    Abstract: The sheet processing apparatus processes a sheet having an image formed thereon by an image forming apparatus. The sheet processing apparatus includes a sheet folding unit for folding the sheet having an image formed thereon, a sheet tray loaded with the sheet folded by the sheet folding unit to be taken out, and a control unit for controlling the sheet processing apparatus as a whole. The sheet tray includes a mechanism capable of adjusting an angle with a virtual plane and a detection device detecting a change of the angle with the virtual plane. The control unit prohibits ejection from the sheet folding unit to the sheet tray, based on the detection result of the detection device and the content of the folding processing by the sheet folding unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 21, 2014
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Shigeki Nozawa, Ryouta Shibayama, Zen Kayaba
  • Patent number: 8602405
    Abstract: A sheet processing apparatus has a process tray onto which a sheet is stacked, an aligning member that conveys the sheet toward a sheet edge regulating member in a contact state in which the aligning member, the sheet edge regulating member regulating the edge of the sheet, and a switching member that switches a state of the aligning member between the contact state where the aligning member is in contact with the sheet, and a non-contact state where the aligning member is spaced apart from the process tray. While the sheet on the process tray is being conveyed toward the sheet edge regulating member by the aligning member, the switching member switches the aligning member from the contact state to the non-contact state, and further switches the aligning member from the non-contact state to the contact state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2013
    Assignee: Canon Finetech Inc.
    Inventors: Kouji Okamoto, Yoshihiko Kitahara
  • Patent number: 8585033
    Abstract: A sheet post-processing apparatus includes a guide portion, a command input unit, a post-processing unit, and a guide controller. The guide portion guides a sheet bundle including the sheet carried from a carry-in portion to the processing position. The command input unit that accepts input of a manual execution command. The post-processing unit performs a predetermined post-process on the sheet bundle disposed at the processing position based on the manual execution command input through the command input unit. The guide controller is connected to the image forming apparatus in a signal-receivable manner to receive sheet size information in an image formation period of the image forming apparatus and to control driving of the guide portion to change a guide size based on the received sheet size information so as to match the guide size with sheet bundles having different sheet sizes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 19, 2013
    Assignee: Kyocera Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventor: Ryuichi Ishizu
  • Patent number: 8561977
    Abstract: A post-processing apparatus with a sheet ejection device includes a first sheet tray, a second sheet tray, and a sheet ejection arm. The sheet ejection arm includes a first pushing element and a second pushing element. The second pushing element is pivotally coupled to the first pushing element. The tail edges of the plural paper sheets are pushed by the sheet ejection arm from the first end of the first sheet tray, so that the plural paper sheets are moved toward the second end of the first sheet tray. When the tail edges of the plural paper sheets reach the second end of the first sheet tray, the second pushing element is swung toward the second sheet tray to press the tail edges of the plural paper sheets, so that the plural paper sheets are aligned with each other and smoothly fallen down to the second sheet tray.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 14, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 22, 2013
    Assignee: Primax Electronics Ltd.
    Inventor: Yu-Lun Chang
  • Patent number: 8523166
    Abstract: Disclosed is a paper discharge apparatus of optimizing the moving path of a stapler provided at the rear of the paper discharge apparatus by effectively constructing the structure of the paper discharge apparatus that discharges paper onto a stacker tray. The paper discharge apparatus includes a pair of guide side plates including first rail grooves and curved cams adjacent to the first rail grooves, a pair of paper gripping units to grip the paper on the paper stacking plate in the contact with the curved cams, a first driving unit to drive the paper gripping units, an aligning stopper provided between the guide side plates to straightly move by a predetermined distance in the paper transfer direction from front end portions of the guide side plates, and a second driving unit to previously move the aligning stopper in the paper transfer direction just before the paper gripping units.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 21, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2013
    Assignee: KRDC Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Kijo Jung
  • Patent number: 8505904
    Abstract: A bookbinding device and a print-medium post-treatment apparatus having the same. In the bookbinding device, when a print medium drops and is loaded a stack plate, a drop position of a leading end of the print medium is changed according to a size of the print medium. This prevents sequence upset of print media when the print media are stacked one above another on the stack plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 25, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 13, 2013
    Assignee: SAMSUNG Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Ji Hoon Min, Chang Soo Byun
  • Patent number: 8496239
    Abstract: A sheet processing apparatus includes a pair of first aligning members movable in a sheet conveyance direction and a sheet width direction, a pair of second aligning members to align lateral sides of a bundle of sheets, a stapler movable in the sheet width direction to staple a trailing end portion of the bundle, a driving unit to move the first aligning members, and a controller. The first aligning members include a stack portion to contact and support a trailing edge of the bundle. When the stapler staples the bundle at two positions symmetrically relative to a center position in the sheet width direction, the controller selects either first positions inside the two stapled positions or second positions outside the two stapled positions in accordance with multiple stapling-related variables, and the first aligning members are set at the selected positions to align the trailing edge of the bundle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 30, 2013
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Tomohiro Furuhashi, Keisuke Sugiyama
  • Patent number: 8485514
    Abstract: A sheet processing apparatus includes: a sheet stacking unit on which sheets are accommodated and stacked as a sheet bundle; an aligning member that is movable along a trailing end, in a conveying direction, of the sheet bundle stacked on the sheet stacking unit and that aligns the trailing end of the sheet bundle in the sheet conveying direction by abutting thereon; a binding unit that moves along the trailing end of the sheet bundle in the sheet conveying direction and binds the aligned sheet bundle; and a moving unit that moves the aligning member in the sheet conveying direction. A distance from the trailing end of the sheet bundle in the sheet conveying direction to a binding position is adjusted by moving the aligning member in the sheet conveying direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 16, 2013
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Limited
    Inventors: Keisuke Sugiyama, Tomohiro Furuhashi, Masahiro Tamura, Shuuya Nagasako, Yuusuke Shibasaki, Kyosuke Nakada, Kazuya Yamamoto, Junya Suzuki, Kazunori Konno, Yasuo Niikura, Tomomichi Hoshino, Akira Kunieda, Takahiro Watanabe, Tomohiro Yoshizaki, Kiichiro Goto