Recording medium post-processing apparatus, printer unit with the same, recording medium post-processing method, and non-transitory computer-readable medium storing recording medium post- processing instructions

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10183508-B2
Application number	US-201615158763-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 19, 2016
Priority date	Jan 26, 2012
Publication date	Jan 22, 2019
Grant date	Jan 22, 2019

Abstract

A recording medium post-processing apparatus includes: a stacker which is stacked with a plurality of sheet-like recording media with images being recorded thereon; an receiving device which receives at least one of information regarding the images to be recorded on the recording media and information regarding the recording media; an alignment device which applies an external force to the recording media stacked on the stacker so as to align the recording media; a controller which sets, on the basis of the at least one information received by the receiving device, at least one of (i) a stacked-sheet number that is the number of the recording media, and (ii) a magnitude of the external force that is applied to the recording media and which controls the alignment device on the basis of the setted at least one of the stacked-sheet number and the magnitude of the external force.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A recording medium post-processing apparatus comprising:
a stacker configured to be stacked with a plurality of sheet-like recording media with images being recorded thereon;
an alignment device configured to apply an external force to the plurality of recording media stacked on the stacker so as to align the plurality of recording media stacked on the stacker;
a receiver configured to receive a kind of a currently-stacked-recording-media that is a plurality of recording media being currently stacked on the stacker; and
a controller configured to:
set a reference number to a first value when a kind of the currently-stacked-recording-media is a first kind of the recording media;
set the reference number to a second value when a kind of the currently-stacked-recording-media is a second kind of the recording media, the second value being less than the first value, a friction coefficient of the second kind of the recording media being larger than that of the first kind of the recording media;
obtain a number of a currently-stacked-recording-media; and
control the alignment device to apply the external force to the currently-stacked-recording media when the number of the currently-stacked-recording-media reaches the reference number.

2. A printer unit comprising:
the recording medium post-processing apparatus according to claim 1 ; and
an image forming apparatus configured to supply the recording media to the stacker of the recording medium post-processing apparatus.

3. A recording medium post-treatment method of a recording medium post-processing apparatus which comprises (i) a stacker configured to be stacked with a plurality of sheet-like recording media with images being recorded thereon, (ii) an alignment device configured to apply an external force to the plurality of recording media stacked on the stacker so as to align the plurality of recording media stacked on the stacker, and (iii) a receiver configured to receive a kind of a currently-stacked-recording-media that is a plurality of recording media being currently stacked on the stacker, comprising:
a step of setting a reference number to a first value when a kind of the currently-stacked-recording-media is a first kind of the recording media;
a step of setting the reference number to a second value when a kind of the currently-stacked-recording-media is a second kind of the recording media, the second value being less than the first value, a friction coefficient of the second kind of the recording media being larger than that of the first kind of the recording media;
a step of obtaining a number of a currently-stacked-recording-media; and
a step of controlling the alignment device to apply the external force to the currently-stacked-recording media when the number of the currently-stacked-recording-media reaches the reference number.

4. A non-transitory, computer-readable medium storing computer-readable instructions therein that, when executed by a processor of a recording medium post-processing apparatus which comprises (i) a stacker configured to be stacked with a plurality of sheet-like recording media with images being recorded thereon, (ii) an alignment device configured to apply an external force to the plurality of recording media stacked on the stacker so as to align the plurality of recording media stacked on the stacker, and (iii) a receiver configured to receive a kind of a currently-stacked-recording-media that is a plurality of recording media being currently stacked on the stacker, cause the recording medium post-processing apparatus to perform the steps of:
setting a reference number to a first value when a kind of the currently-stacked-recording-media is a first kind of the recording media;
setting the reference number to a second value when a kind of the currently-stacked-recording-media is a second kind of the recording media, the second value being less than the first value, a friction coefficient of the second kind of the recording media being larger than that of the first kind of the recording media;
obtaining a number of a currently-stacked-recording-media;
controlling the alignment device to apply the external force to the currently-stacked-recording media when the number of the currently-stacked-recording-media reaches the reference number.

5. A recording medium post-processing apparatus comprising:
a stacker configured to be stacked with a plurality of sheet-like recording media with images being recorded thereon;
an alignment device configured to apply an external force to the plurality of recording media stacked on the stacker so as to align the plurality of recording media stacked on the stacker, a magnitude of the external force being a reference value;
a receiver configured to receive a kind of a currently-stacked-recording-media that is a plurality of recording media being currently stacked on the stacker; and
a controller configured to:
set a reference number to a first value when a kind of the currently-stacked-recording-media is a first kind of the recording media;
set the reference number to a second value when a kind of the currently-stacked-recording-media is a second kind of the recording media, the second value being less than the first value, a friction coefficient of the second kind of the recording media being larger than that of the first kind of the recording media;
obtain a number of a currently-stacked-recording-media; and
control the alignment device to apply a first external force to the currently-stacked-recording media when the number of the currently-stacked-recording-media reaches the reference number.

Assignees

• Brother Ind Ltd

Inventors

• Itogawa Yoshihiro

Classifications

• B41J13/10 Primary

  Sheet holders, retainers {, movable guides}, or stationary guides · CPC title

• B65H31/40

  Separate receivers, troughs, and like apparatus for knocking-up completed piles · CPC title

• B41J2/01

  Ink jet · CPC title

• B65H43/06

  detecting, or responding to, completion of pile (B65H43/08 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B65H2301/4213

  of a limited number of articles, e.g. buffering, forming bundles · CPC title