With Movable Pack-limiting Member(s) (e.g., Hold-down) Patents (Class 271/220)
  • Patent number: 11906922
    Abstract: A sorting device includes a base portion and a tray portion. The tray portion is supported on the base portion to be reciprocatable between a first shift position, where the tray portion is located at one side in the sheet width direction, and a second shift position, where the tray portion is located at the other side in the sheet width direction. The tray portion has a cutout portion. The cutout portion is formed by cutting away, with a predetermined width, an end part of the tray portion in the sheet width direction inward across the tray portion. With the tray portion at the second shift position, the cutout portion is located below one side end edge of the sheet in the sheet width direction, of sheets stacked on the tray portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2024
    Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventors: Tomoyasu Yamada, Hirofumi Tsuji
  • Patent number: 11881071
    Abstract: Disclosed are a banknote stacking and separation apparatus and a cash recycling and handling device. The banknote stacking and separation apparatus includes a frame provided with a banknote accommodating space. A pickuping roller, a feeding roller and a gate roller are provided in an upper part of the banknote accommodating space, and the feeding roller and the gate roller are oppositely arranged. The banknote stacking and separation apparatus further includes a guiding plate and a guiding plate driving mechanism. The guiding plate is located in the banknote accommodating space and pivoted with the frame, and the guiding plate driving mechanism drives the guiding plate to rotate from a guiding position to a lifting position. The guiding plate shields the pickuping roller when the guiding plate is at the guiding position, and the guiding plate exposes the pickuping roller when the guiding plate is at the lifting position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 23, 2024
    Assignee: SHANDONG NEW BEIYANG INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Jiawu Tan, Minghao Tao, Yong Yuan, Jiabo Xu, Qiangzi Cong
  • Patent number: 11795025
    Abstract: The invention relates to a stacking device (10) for placing sheet-shaped elements (P) in stacks in a forming machine (1), said stacking device (10) comprising: a movable stacking surface (11), and an actuating device (12) for moving stacking surface (11): between a retracted position and a vertical forward position in a reciprocating back-and-forth motion for stacking sheets, and between the retracted position and a stowed position to open an access to the stack of sheet-shaped elements (P), characterized in that the actuator (12) comprises cam means configured to move the stacking surface (11) upwardly in the retracted position, in a raised position to be located above the top of the sheet stack. The invention also relates to a machine forming sheet-shaped elements comprising at least one such stacking device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 25, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2023
    Assignee: BOBST MEX SA
    Inventors: Patrice Chatry, Maude Steiner
  • Patent number: 11780698
    Abstract: Provided is a medium processing device including a supply portion supplying a medium, a transporter transporting the medium supplied from the supply portion, an contact portion that a tip of the medium transported by the transporter is brought into contact with, a stacker in which the medium brought into contact with the contact portion is stacked, and a processor processing the medium stacked in the stacker, in which the transporter includes a gripper that is configured to move along a transport path of the medium, grips a tip of the medium, and moves.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 14, 2022
    Date of Patent: October 10, 2023
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Kohei Ueno, Nobuyuki Mizushima, Yutaro Harada, Shunpei Yamaguchi
  • Patent number: 11774897
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a paper discharging tray and a paper detection part disposed at an upstream end of the paper discharging tray in a paper discharge direction. The paper detection part includes a base end member provided rotatably around a first axis extending in a direction perpendicular to a paper discharge direction and a tip member pivoted to the base end member to rotate around a second axis parallel to the first axis, and extending downwardly to incline toward an upstream side of the paper discharge direction in a state where the base end member is not subjected to pressure from the paper being discharged. The base end member is disposed to face a discharge opening when being at the reference position, and the image forming apparatus stops discharging paper from the discharge opening when the base end member rotates by a predetermined threshold or more with respect to the reference position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 18, 2022
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2023
    Assignee: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Tsuyoshi Shibayama, Yuki Taniguchi
  • Patent number: 11731851
    Abstract: To provide a post-processor capable of executing alignment processing with high accuracy. Configuring a post-processor including: a recording material loader on which a recording material conveyed through a conveyance path is loaded; an aligner that aligns the recording material in the recording material loader; a driver that moves the aligner; and a controller that receives information of a physical property value of the recording material acquired by a medium sensor and determines an operation parameter of alignment processing that drives the driver based on the information of the physical property value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2022
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2023
    Assignee: Konica Minolta, Inc.
    Inventor: Yuji Fujita
  • Patent number: 11673760
    Abstract: A medium discharge device includes a discharge roller pair that is provided with a discharge driving roller and a discharge driven roller which drivably rotates in contact with the discharge driving roller, and a medium receiving tray which receives the medium that is fed and discharged by the discharge roller pair, in which the medium receiving tray includes a guide member which guides such that a tip end of the medium which is discharged from the discharge roller pair enters the medium mounting surface at a predetermined angle, and the guide member is provided to be elastically displaceable in an advancing and retreating direction with respect to the medium mounting surface of the medium receiving tray and is displaced in a direction coming close to the medium mounting surface according to raising of a pressing load due to the medium that is discharged to the medium receiving tray.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2023
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Kiyotaka Nakamura
  • Patent number: 11649133
    Abstract: A sheet post-processing apparatus that performs post-processing on a sheet on which an image is formed includes: a punch hole forming portion; and a sheet bundle forming portion that has a conveyance portion, stops a first sheet on a conveyance path, and conveys a second sheet after the first sheet to a position overlapping the first sheet to form a sheet bundle. The sheet post-processing apparatus includes a shift portion to make a shift so that a relative position between the first sheet and the second sheet in a direction orthogonal to a conveyance direction becomes a relative position at which the second sheet does not overlap a punch hole of the first sheet to make the second sheet overlap the first sheet, and forms a sheet bundle in which sheets overlapped with each other are deviated in a width direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2023
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Kazuhisa Sato
  • Patent number: 11608242
    Abstract: A post-processing device includes a processing tray on which a medium recorded by a recording portion is loaded, and a first paddle which is an example of a transportation member provided above the processing tray and rotating to transport the medium toward the upstream in a transport direction. In addition, the post-processing device includes a roller which is an example of a rotating body provided above the rotation shaft of the first paddle, and a paddle unit frame which is an example of an upper member provided above the roller. The roller and the paddle unit frame are positioned within a rotation locus of the first paddle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 21, 2023
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Masaki Miyazawa, Shun Hara, Kazuhisa Kawakami
  • Patent number: 11592776
    Abstract: A recording material processing apparatus includes a guide shaft of which an axial direction extends in a recording material width direction intersecting a discharge direction of a recording material, and an alignment unit that moves along the guide shaft, in which the alignment unit includes a bearing portion that is movably fitted onto the guide shaft, an alignment portion that is provided to be exposed at an outer side in the discharge direction and comes into contact with an end surface of the recording material that is parallel to the discharge direction from an outer side of the recording material to align a position of the end surface, an arm portion that connects the bearing portion and the alignment portion to each other, and a protruding portion that protrudes from a surface of the arm portion to a position outside the recording material in the axial direction of the guide shaft and comes into contact with a surface of a device main body, which is parallel to the discharge direction, in a case where
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 8, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2023
    Assignee: FUJIFILM Business Innovation Corp.
    Inventor: Taiki Watanabe
  • Patent number: 11528376
    Abstract: A sheet alignment apparatus includes a sheet leading-end aligning device, a sheet side-end aligning device. The sheet leading-end aligning device is configured to align a leading end of a sheet bundle in a sheet conveyance direction. The sheet side-end aligning device is configured to align a side end of the sheet bundle in the sheet conveyance direction and move the sheet bundle to a predetermined position. The sheet leading-end aligning device is configured to maintain contact with the leading end of the sheet bundle when the sheet leading-end aligning device retracts from a movement path of the sheet side-end aligning device along which the sheet side-end aligning device moves the sheet bundle to the predetermined position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2022
    Assignee: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventors: Shigeyuki Itoh, Ikumi Takashima
  • Patent number: 11518640
    Abstract: A medium discharge includes a first tray having a first medium receiving surface, a second tray having a second medium receiving surface for receiving the medium discharged from the first tray, a discharge section that discharges the medium disposed on the first tray to the second tray, and a push-down portion that is located downstream of a downstream end of the first medium receiving surface in the medium discharge direction, and that is located at a place deviated from the discharge section in a width direction that is a direction intersecting with the medium discharge direction, and pushes down a part of an upstream end of the medium to be discharged in the medium discharge direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2022
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Akinobu Nakahata, Tsuyoshi Furumido, Masaki Miyazawa, Kenji Uchibori
  • Patent number: 11520269
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a paper discharging tray and a paper detection part disposed at an upstream end of the paper discharging tray in a paper discharge direction. The paper detection part includes a base end member provided rotatably around a first axis extending in a direction perpendicular to a paper discharge direction and a tip member pivoted to the base end member to rotate around a second axis parallel to the first axis, and extending downwardly to incline toward an upstream side of the paper discharge direction in a state where the base end member is not subjected to pressure from the paper being discharged. The base end member is disposed to face a discharge opening when being at the reference position, and the image forming apparatus stops discharging paper from the discharge opening when the base end member rotates by a predetermined threshold or more with respect to the reference position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 14, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2022
    Assignee: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Tsuyoshi Shibayama, Yuki Taniguchi
  • Patent number: 11485601
    Abstract: A sheet post-processing device includes a folding portion, a discharge portion, a stacking tray, a shift unit, a pair of alignment members, and a controller. The pair of alignment members include first and second alignment members at one and the other side of sheets stacked on the stacking tray. When a sheet bundle sorted and stacked on the stacking tray includes a folded sheet, executes a second alignment mode in which it performs, for sheets shifted to a first position at one side on the stacking tray, alignment with only the first alignment member and, for sheets shifted to a second position at the other side, alignment with only the second alignment member, or does not perform alignment process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2022
    Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventors: Keisuke Egawa, Kazuhisa Iwamoto
  • Patent number: 11415924
    Abstract: A sorting device includes a base portion, a tray portion, and a tray driving portion. The tray driving portion includes a motor, a supporting shaft, an input member, an output member, a link mechanism, and an urging member. The input member includes a first boss portion movably supported on the supporting shaft, and is reciprocatable up and down along the supporting shaft. The output member has a second boss portion coupled with the first boss portion via a ratchet mechanism. The link mechanism converts a rotary motion of the output member to a linear motion of the tray portion. The ratchet mechanism operates such that, when a predetermined or heavier load is applied to the output member via the tray portion, the input member is pushed down against the urging force of the urging member and engagement between the first and second ratchet teeth is released.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 2021
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2022
    Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventor: Tomoyasu Yamada
  • Patent number: 11365082
    Abstract: The present application discloses a post-processing apparatus including a second tray which receives a sheet stack ejected from a first tray, a pushing mechanism including a pushing portion which pushes the sheet stack against the second tray, a motion detector which detects a motion of the pushing mechanism, and a controller including an ejection controller which controls an ejector. When the ejector ejects the sheet stack, the pushing mechanism moves the pushing portion in a first direction away from the second tray. When the ejector finishes ejection of the sheet stack, the pushing mechanism moves the pushing portion in a second direction which is opposite to the first direction. Unless the motion detector detects the motion of the pushing mechanism moving the pushing portion in the first direction when the ejector ejects the sheet stack, the ejection controller executes interruption control of stopping the ejection of the sheet stack.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 1, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2022
    Inventors: Rina Okada, Terumitsu Noso, Yasunori Ueno
  • Patent number: 11312592
    Abstract: Provided is a sheet stacking apparatus including an aligning member lifting-lowering device configured to lift and lower aligning members between an aligning position where the aligning members abut to and align the sheets and a retreating position where the aligning members are lifted from an upper surface of the sheets, an aligning member moving device configured to move the aligning members in a sheet width direction, and a stack tray lifting-lowering device configured to lift and lower a stack tray based on a detection result of a sheet surface detecting device. A controller lifts the aligning members to the retreating position with the aligning member lifting-lowering device after the sheets stacked on the stack tray is aligned at the aligning position, and stops lifting-lowering operation of the stack tray lifting-lowering device while the aligning members are moved in the sheet width direction with the aligning member moving device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 27, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2022
    Assignee: CANON FINETECH NISCA INC.
    Inventor: Toshiyuki Iwata
  • Patent number: 11279585
    Abstract: A stacking device which is detachably attached to an apparatus body of an image forming apparatus having an abutting member that abuts on a recording material and on which a recording material is stacked includes: a first supporting unit that supports the recording material from a lower side of the recording material; and a second supporting unit that supports an end of the recording material in an attachment/detachment direction of the stacking device. The second supporting unit includes a corresponding region, and a position of the corresponding region agrees with a position of the abutting member abut with the recording material in a width direction which is orthogonal to the attachment/detachment direction. At least a height of the corresponding region in a direction orthogonal to the attachment/detachment direction and the width direction is lower than a height of the abutting member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 16, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2022
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Hiroharu Tsuji
  • Patent number: 11203504
    Abstract: A recording apparatus includes a recording head; an output unit that outputs the recording medium; an output tray that receives the recording medium; a pressing member that is configured to be displaced in an up-down direction and that presses the recording medium toward the output tray by displacement of the pressing member from an upper side to a lower side with respect to the recording medium; and a restricting member configured to contact an upstream end portion in an output direction of the recording medium pressed by the pressing member, the restricting member including a contact position thereof with respect to the upstream end portion being configured to rotate. The restricting member restricts deformation of the upstream end portion pressed by the pressing member at the contact position. The pressing member is displaced upward in a state in which the restricting member restricts the deformation of the upstream end portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 21, 2021
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Yuto Suzuki
  • Patent number: 10996607
    Abstract: According to an example, printed media stack alignment may include actuating a belt and a paddle to shift first and second sheets to a stopper position represented by register of the first and second sheets against a stopper. The stopper may be actuated to shift the first and second sheets to an eject position, where the eject position is intermediate to a sheet deposit position and the stopper position. The belt and the paddle may be actuated to shift the first sheet, the second sheet, and a third sheet received at the sheet deposit position to the stopper position. The stopper may be actuated to shift the first, second, and third sheets to the eject position. Further, an ejector may be actuated to eject a stack including the first, second, and third sheets from the eject position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 4, 2021
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventor: Stephen Thomas Rohman
  • Patent number: 10934121
    Abstract: The present application discloses a post-processing apparatus which performs a predetermined process after an image formation process performed by an image formation apparatus. The post-processing apparatus includes an ejection tray, which supports a sheet stack, in which sheets are stacked, and a curl prevention portion including a first tray cursor, which abuts an upper surface of the sheet stack on the ejection tray to prevent the sheet stack from curling. The curl prevention portion includes an angle changer, which changes an inclination angle of the first tray cursor with respect to the ejection tray. The angle changer sets the inclination angle to a first value when a number of sheets is a first number. The angle changer sets the inclination angle to a second value different from the first value when the number of the sheets is a second number different from the first number.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 2, 2021
    Inventor: Kazuhisa Iwamoto
  • Patent number: 10882710
    Abstract: A sheet processing apparatus includes a processing tray, a pushing member, and a movable guide. One or more sheets to be processed are placeable on the processing tray for sheet processing. The pushing member is configured to push an edge of the one or more sheets on the processing tray on an upstream side in a sheet conveying direction, by moving along a surface of the processing tray in the sheet conveying direction. The movable guide is movable to a sheet pressing position at which a distance between the surface of the processing tray and the movable guide is equal to or less than a height of the pushing member above the surface of the processing tray. The movable guide is at the sheet processing position when the pushing member moves along the surface of the processing tray in the sheet conveying direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 5, 2021
    Assignee: TOSHIBA TEC KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Hiroyuki Taki
  • Patent number: 10558157
    Abstract: The postprocessing device includes: a stapling unit for stapling a sheet bundle with a staple; a discharge tray to which a bound sheet bundle bound with the staple is to be discharged; a moving member movable in both a direction of approaching the discharge tray and a direction of going away from the discharge tray; and a control section for, when the bound sheet bundle has been discharged, driving the moving member to execute a process of making the moving member hit against the bound sheet bundle or against the discharge tray.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 11, 2020
    Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventor: Jun Nishimura
  • Patent number: 10501275
    Abstract: Examples disclosed herein relate to a device including a bail arm to rotate and oscillate. Examples include a shaft coupled above an output tray; and a bail arm to rotate and oscillate about a central axis of the shaft. In examples, the bail arm is to provide a downward force on the output tray.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 15, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2019
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Steve O Rasmussen, Daniel Fredrickson, Jason Young Carothers, Kevin Lo, Emma Frances Kelp-Stebbins
  • Patent number: 10399810
    Abstract: A sheet discharging apparatus configured to discharge a sheet includes a discharging portion, a contact member, and a detector. The discharging portion discharges a sheet so as to be bent in a curved shape in a width direction of the sheet, perpendicular to a discharging direction of the sheet when viewed in a sheet discharging direction. The contact member is moved by contact with the sheet discharged by the discharging portion, wherein the contact member includes a contact surface to be in contact with the sheet which is inclined along the curved shape of the sheet in the width direction of the sheet when viewed in the sheet discharging direction. The detector detects a discharging of the sheet based on the movement of the contact member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2019
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Jun Agata
  • Patent number: 10189667
    Abstract: A post-processing apparatus for post-processing paper discharged from an image forming apparatus comprises: a paper discharging roller for conveying both first and second paper sequentially discharged from an image forming apparatus to an intermediate loading part; a main paddle part for conveying the first and second paper loaded on the intermediate loading part to a compiling region; a reverse roller for conveying, together with the main paddle part, the first and second paper to the compiling region; and a binding part for processing the first and second paper conveyed to the compiling region, the paper discharging roller allows the first paper to stand by on a standby path, and conveys the first and second paper to the intermediate loading part in a state in which the leading end of the first paper protrudes further than the leading end of the second paper.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 29, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2019
    Assignee: HP PRINTING KOREA CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Tae-hong Kim, Kyung-hwan Jang, Hae-seog Cho
  • Patent number: 10180816
    Abstract: The present disclosure discloses methods and systems for segregating large print jobs and minor print jobs. The method includes detecting a trigger event caused by receiving a new high priority job while an old print job is already under printing by a printer. The printer includes a paper collection tray installed in a paper collection area for receiving printouts of the high priority jobs. After receiving, printing of the old print job is paused and printing of the high priority is initiated. Then, a collection tray is moved to an extended position for receiving printouts of the high priority job into the collection tray. After successful printing of the new high priority job, printing of the old print job is resumed. Thereafter, the collection tray is moved back to the retracted position for receiving printouts in the collection area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 11, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 15, 2019
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventor: Arockia Raja Soundararajan
  • Patent number: 10150312
    Abstract: A control apparatus includes a grouping unit configured to divide a plurality of sheets, each associated with a plurality of pages included in a processing target job into groups, and a control unit to control feeding of a sheet from a feeding unit onto a conveyance path and refeeding of a sheet that has been conveyed on the conveyance path onto the conveyance path. The grouping unit sets a group size that is not less than a maximum sheet size used in the processing target job, and the grouping unit decides the group of the predetermined page as the first group. The grouping unit also decides the group of the predetermined page as a second group different from the first group, and the control unit controls feeding and refeeding for each group grouped in the grouping unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 17, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 11, 2018
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Takayoshi Noguchi
  • Patent number: 9994410
    Abstract: A sheet loading device is provided with a sheet ejection portion, a sheet loading portion, a first detection mechanism, a driving device, a second detection mechanism, and a control portion. The driving device drives the sheet loading portion to ascend/descend between an upper surface detection position and a reference position made to descend by a prescribed distance from the upper surface detection position. The second detection mechanism detects that the sheet loading portion is at the reference position. In a case where sheets of the same type are ejected continuously from the sheet ejection portion, the control portion controls beforehand the sheet loading portion to ascend from the reference position to the upper surface detection position and sets a loadable number of sheets of the sheet loading portion in accordance with an ascending time of the sheet loading portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2018
    Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventors: Keisuke Egawa, Yasunori Ueno
  • Patent number: 9878868
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a discharging slot provided for discharging a recording medium on which an image is formed; a discharge tray including a supporting surface supporting the recording medium discharged from the discharging slot; a discharge mechanism configured to discharge the recording medium to the discharge tray through the discharging slot; and a press down mechanism including an abutting surface which is provided for pressing down the upper surface of the recording medium supported by the supporting surface of the discharge tray. The press down mechanism is rotatable about a rotation center provided on the upstream of the discharging slot in a discharge direction in which the recording medium is discharged from the discharging slot, and the abutting surface contacts with the supporting surface when no recording medium is supported by the discharge tray.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2018
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Akihito Kobayashi, Kohei Terada
  • Patent number: 9854113
    Abstract: A support device is applied to support a contact image sensor of an image capture apparatus, which includes a guide rod. The support device includes a slide sleeve and an elastic rod. The slide sleeve, which has a groove, is movably disposed on the guide rod, and a portion of the guide rod is accommodated within the groove. The elastic rod is disposed on the slide sleeve to directly support the contact image sensor. The elastic rod abuts against the contact image sensor, so that the contact image sensor is pushed upwardly, and the contact image sensor is stably kept in the same direction while the slide sleeve is slid on the guide rod. Therefore, the entirety of the support device can achieve the advantages of stably supporting the contact image sensor in balance without using any sliding bracket.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2017
    Assignee: Teco Image Systems Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Cheng-Lung Lin
  • Patent number: 9835998
    Abstract: In accordance with an embodiment, a sheet processing apparatus comprises a decoloring section, a stacking section, an image forming section, a sheet feed roller and a combined roller. The decoloring section carries out a decoloring processing on a sheet. The sheet subjected to the decoloring processing is discharged to the stacking section. The image forming section carries out an image forming processing on the sheet fed from the stacking section. The sheet feed roller feeds a sheet stacked in the stacking section to a conveyance path through which the sheet is fed to the image forming section. The combined roller aligns the sheets to be discharged to the stacking section at a reference position in a conveyance direction in which the sheets are conveyed to the sheet feed roller, and feeds the sheets stacked in the stacking section to the sheet feed roller along the conveyance direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2017
    Assignees: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA, TOSHIBA TEC KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kikuo Mizutani, Ken Iguchi, Isao Yahata, Hiroyuki Sugiyama
  • Patent number: 9776822
    Abstract: In a sheet storage apparatus, a shift trajectory between an aligning position on a load surface and a waiting position above the tray is short, and the shift operation does not cause misregistration of aligned sheets, wherein a regulation member strikes and regulates a sheet carried onto the load surface, and a trajectory is set to displace to the regulation member side. The apparatus includes a transport path having a sheet discharge outlet, a tray member disposed on the downstream side of the sheet discharge outlet and having a load surface of sheets, a regulation member disposed in the tray member to regulate an end edge in a transport direction, an aligning member including a side edge engagement surface engaging a side edge in a sheet width direction on the load surface, and a shift section shifting the side edge engagement surface between the waiting position and the aligning position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2017
    Assignee: CANON FINETECH NISCA INC.
    Inventor: Hisashi Osada
  • Patent number: 9718635
    Abstract: A post-processing device includes a stacking portion on which a medium having an image recorded thereon is stacked; an aligning portion that is disposed on the stacking portion and that aligns a position of an edge of the medium; a drawing member that draws the medium stacked on the stacking portion toward the aligning portion; and a guiding member that is disposed above the drawing member and that guides the medium that is transported toward the stacking portion, the guiding member including a vicinity portion that is in a vicinity of the drawing member and that is recessed so as to receive the drawing member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2017
    Assignee: FUJI XEROX CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Ryuichi Sato
  • Patent number: 9592988
    Abstract: A floating clamp mechanism prevents sheets from migrating back from a lead edge registration wall during the compiling of sheets in a stacker. The floating clamp mechanism includes a spring loaded ball mounted in converging upper and lower tracks that act as a one-way clutch. This allows the incoming sheets to be scuffed with low force to the lead edge registration wall while simultaneously holding the registered sheets to the registration wall.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 14, 2017
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventor: Douglas K Herrmann
  • Patent number: 9359163
    Abstract: A sheet processing apparatus (3) includes a pressing lever (46) turnable between a first position where the pressing lever (46) abuts with the sheet bundle on a stacking tray (34) and a second position where the pressing lever (46) is displaced on a side of a discharging part (44) side from the first position. The discharging part (44) has an upper roller (56) and a lower roller (57). The lower roller (57) abuts with a lowermost sheet of the sheet bundle and an upper roller (56) is configured to separate upward from the lower roller (57) during the shifting and to be displaced in a direction approaching the lower roller (57) during the discharging. The pressing lever (46) is configured to project upward from above an apex portion of the lower roller (57) at the second position and to turn into the second position during the shifting.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 20, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 7, 2016
    Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventors: Masahiko Miyazaki, Yasunori Ueno
  • Patent number: 9321606
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a discharge tray having a supporting surface supporting a recording medium; a discharge mechanism which has a discharging slot through which the recording medium on which an image is formed is discharged and is provided to discharge the recording medium from the discharging slot in a discharge direction which is a direction toward a space vertically above the supporting surface of the discharge tray; and a press down unit which is configured to relatively move toward and away from the supporting surface with respect to the discharge tray, the press down unit being relatively moved away when contacting with a downstream end in the discharge direction of the recording medium discharged onto the discharge tray by the discharge mechanism, and applying the own weight to the downstream end of the recording medium when the recording medium is supported by the supporting surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2016
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Akihito Kobayashi, Kohei Terada
  • Patent number: 9323199
    Abstract: A media supply tray includes a Bowden cable attached to side paper guides. Movement of one side guide causes the opposing side guide to move in the opposite direction. When the side guides are moved, a flag attached to the cable moves and can be detected to provide accurate feedback to a printer regarding media size in the tray.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2016
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventor: Leslie Wynn
  • Patent number: 9274480
    Abstract: A media supply tray includes a cable and pulley system attached to side paper guides. Movement of one side guide causes the opposing side guide to move in the opposite direction. When the side guides are moved, a flag attached to the cable moves and can be detected to provide accurate feedback to a printer regarding media size in the tray. Alternatively, a Bowden cable can be attached to the side guides for enhanced accuracy in size sensing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 2, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2016
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventor: Leslie Wynn
  • Patent number: 9272872
    Abstract: A sheet stacking device that can appropriately stack, at a fixed position, sheets that are discharged to a discharge tray, and a printing apparatus are provided. A presser member holds down, at a pressing position, the sheets stacked on the discharge tray. The presser member is moved from the pressing position to a retraction position in a period after discharging of a sheet has been started and before discharging of a succeeding sheet is started.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 2, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2016
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Noriyuki Sugiyama, Hiroyuki Saito, Yasuyuki Asai, Atsushi Ikeda
  • Patent number: 9227814
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit, a sheet receiving portion, an ejection roller, and a restriction member. The ejection roller is configured to rotate in a forward direction to eject a recording sheet fed from the image forming unit to the sheet receiving portion, and to rotate in a reverse direction to return the recording sheet to the image forming unit. The restriction member is configured to move between a restriction position where the restriction member protrudes farther in a sheet ejection direction than a peripheral surface of the ejection roller and a retracted position where the restriction member is retracted from the restriction position. The ejection roller is configured to move the restriction member to the restriction position by rotating in the forward direction, and to move the restriction member to the retracted position by rotating in the reverse direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 26, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 5, 2016
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Wei Zhang
  • Patent number: 9170548
    Abstract: A sheet discharge device includes a sheet discharge path, a discharge portion for discharging the sheet, and a pressing member. The pressing member is shiftable between a hanging posture, in which the pressing member hangs from an axis of pivotal movement thereof above the discharge path in such a manner as to block the discharge path, and a retracted posture, in which the pressing member is pivotally moved about the axis of pivotal movement in the sheet discharge direction for opening the discharge path. The pressing member has a side portion protruding into the discharge path in the hanging posture thereof, and a bottom portion continuing to a lower end of the side portion and extending toward downstream in the sheet discharge direction. The bottom portion includes an inclined surface inclined upwardly toward a middle part of the sheet in the sheet width direction in the hanging posture.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 27, 2015
    Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventor: Mitsutoshi Takemoto
  • Patent number: 9162840
    Abstract: A sheet conveying device includes: a conveyor; a stacking surface configured to support a sheet to be discharged by a discharge roller, and a movable member, which is provided downstream from the discharge roller in the discharge direction, is supported so as to be swingable on a swinging shaft, wherein the movable member has a first surface and a second surface, wherein the first surface is inclined at a first inclined angle relative to the stacking surface so that the first guide surface is inclined towards the stacking surface, wherein the second surface is inclined at a second inclined angle relative to the stacking surface so that the second surface is inclined towards the stacking surface, and wherein the second inclined angle is smaller than the first inclined angle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 20, 2015
    Assignee: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Masahiko Ohta
  • Patent number: 9096091
    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: Grant
    Filed: November 27, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 4, 2015
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Limited
    Inventors: Yuusuke Shibasaki, Nobuyoshi Suzuki, Katsuhiro Kosuge, Takashi Saito, Shingo Matsushita, Akihiro Musha, Ikuhisa Okamoto, Wataru Takahashi, Takuya Morinaga, Ryuji Yoshida
  • Patent number: 9079743
    Abstract: Discharging a sheet bundle of a sheet N and a sheet N-1 on preceding sheets already stacked on a stacking tray can cause the already-stacked sheets to be pushed out by the front end of the succeeding sheets. By pressing already-stacked sheets with a bundle pressing member when a sheet bundle of succeeding sheets is discharged, it is possible to reduce the likelihood of the already-stacked sheets being pushed out. Employing the bundle pressing member reduces disturbance of sheet alignment that can occur when a sheet bundle is discharged on already-stacked sheets.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 14, 2015
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yutaka Ando, Mitsuhiko Sato, Shunsuke Nishimura, Takashi Yokoya
  • Publication number: 20150130126
    Abstract: The present applications relates to techniques and equipment to control the alignment of cut sheets of paper that are transported in parallel in an inserting system prior to their assembly into a document and inserted into an envelope. The alignment of the parallel sheets is adjusted by commanding incremental position changes to servo drive motors used to control the position of the parallel sheets during their transport through a hold module of the inserting system.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 30, 2014
    Publication date: May 14, 2015
    Inventor: Aaron A. KRACHT
  • Publication number: 20150123342
    Abstract: According to an embodiment, there is provided a sheet processing apparatus includes a stacking unit that stacks a sheet conveyed thereto; a first alignment unit that aligns the sheet or a bundle of sheets stacked in the stacking unit in a sheet conveying direction; a second alignment unit that aligns the sheet or the bundle of sheets stacked in the stacking unit in a direction orthogonal to the sheet conveying direction; a pressing unit that presses the bundle of sheets at an end portion thereof on a predetermined one side; and a control unit that causes at least one of the first and second alignment units to execute an alignment operation during a press operation of the sheet or the bundle of sheets performed by the pressing unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 12, 2015
    Publication date: May 7, 2015
    Applicant: RICOH COMPANY, LIMITED
    Inventors: Tomohiro FURUHASHI, Masahiro TAMURA, Shuuya NAGASAKO, Keisuke SUGIYAMA, Kazuya YAMAMOTO, Kyosuke NAKADA, Tomomichi HOSHINO, Akira KUNIEDA, Takahiro WATANABE, Takamasa MATSUMOTO, Junya SUZUKI, Youhei NIITSUMA, Kazunori KONNO, Kiichiro GOTO
  • Patent number: 9016687
    Abstract: There is disclosed a printer and a stacking system to receive and stack tags. The stacking system includes a tag stacker and a removable tag-receiving tray to facilitate transferring a stack of tags from the tag stacker to the place where the tags are to be used. A method of handling tags involves the provision of at least first and second removable trays wherein a first tray with a stack of tags can be replaced by an empty second tray so that the stacking of additional tags can recommence without waiting for the first tray to be emptied.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 25, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 28, 2015
    Assignee: Avery Dennison Corporation
    Inventors: Donald J. Ward, Pieter-Jan N. Nijs
  • Publication number: 20150108712
    Abstract: Disclosed is a sheet processing apparatus including an intermediate processing tray on which a sheet conveyed by a discharge roller is stacked, a proximal aligning plate and a distal aligning plate moving in a sheet width direction for aligning the sheet conveyed onto the intermediate processing tray, and a finisher controller for moving and controlling the proximal aligning plate and the distal aligning plate to align, when a sheet having a length in the sheet conveyance direction shorter than a predetermined length in the sheet conveyance direction is conveyed, the sheet at a position shifted nearer to a take-out port side A in the sheet width direction than a position in the sheet width direction at which a sheet having a length in the sheet conveyance direction equal to or more than the predetermined length in the sheet conveyance direction is aligned.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 30, 2014
    Publication date: April 23, 2015
    Inventors: Rikiya Takemasa, Yusuke Obuchi
  • Patent number: 9010747
    Abstract: The invention relates to a device (10) for handling notes of value, comprising a supply module (1000) for supplying notes of value to a value note receiving region (1004) of a value note cassette (16a to 16d), wherein the notes of value are receivable in a value note receiving region (1004) in the form of a value note stack (1006). The supply module (1000) comprises at least one retaining element (1008, 1010), which, in a retaining position, contacts a front-side note of value of the value note stack (1006) and holds the value note stack (1006) in the value note receiving region (1004). In a supply position, the retaining element (1008, 1010) is arranged such that a note of value is suppliable to the value note stack (1006).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 17, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2015
    Assignee: Wincor Nixdorf International GmbH
    Inventors: Udo Petermann, Paul Freitag