Sheet processing apparatus and image forming apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10358312-B2
Application number	US-201715784321-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 16, 2017
Priority date	Oct 21, 2016
Publication date	Jul 23, 2019
Grant date	Jul 23, 2019

Abstract

A sheet processing apparatus includes a conveyance member configured to convey a sheet, and an alignment portion having a first alignment member and a second alignment member and configured to move relative positions of the first and second alignment members in a width direction orthogonal to a conveyance direction of the sheet by the conveyance member. Each alignment member includes a contact surface coming in contact with one end of the sheet in the width direction, a lower surface facing a lower surface of the sheet that is in contact with the contact surface, a lower portion supporting the lower surface of the sheet that is in contact with the contact surface, and an upper portion facing an upper surface of the sheet that is in contact with the contact surface.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A sheet processing apparatus, comprising:
a conveyance member configured to convey a sheet; and
an alignment portion comprising a first alignment member and a second alignment member and configured to move relative positions of the first and second alignment members in a width direction orthogonal to a conveyance direction of the sheet by the conveyance member, so as to align a position of the sheet in the width direction,
the first alignment member comprising:
a first contact surface configured to come in contact with one end of the sheet in the width direction;
a first lower surface configured to face a lower surface of the sheet that is in contact with the first contact surface;
a first lower portion configured to support the lower surface of the sheet that is in contact with the first contact surface; and
a first upper portion facing an upper surface of the sheet that is in contact with the first contact surface,
wherein in a plane vertical to the conveyance direction, the first lower surface extends from a lower end of the first contact surface toward the second alignment member in the width direction, the first lower surface is inclined so as to be further upward as the first lower surface extends toward the second alignment member in the width direction, and the first lower portion is arranged at an end portion of the first lower surface on a far side from the first contact surface in the width direction,
wherein in the plane vertical to the conveyance direction, the first lower portion is more distant from the first contact surface than the first upper portion in the width direction, the first lower portion is positioned above the lower end of the first contact surface in a gravity direction, and a distance between the first upper portion and the first lower portion in the gravity direction is smaller than a length of the first contact surface in the gravity direction,
the second alignment member comprising:
a second contact surface configured to come in contact with the other end of the sheet in the width direction;
a second lower surface configured to face a lower surface of the sheet that is in contact with the second contact surface;
a second lower portion configured to support the lower surface of the sheet that is in contact with the second contact surface; and
a second upper portion facing an upper surface of the sheet that is in contact with the second contact surface,
wherein in the plane vertical to the conveyance direction, the second lower surface extends from a lower end of the second contact surface toward the first alignment member in the width direction, the second lower surface is inclined so as to be further upward as the second lower surface extends toward the first alignment member in the width direction, and the second lower portion is arranged at an end portion of the second lower surface on a far side from the second contact surface in the width direction,
wherein in the plane vertical to the conveyance direction, the second lower portion is more distant from the second contact surface than the second upper portion in the width direction, the second lower portion is positioned above the lower end of the second contact surface in the gravity direction, and a distance between the second upper portion and the second lower portion in the gravity direction is smaller than a length of the second contact surface in the gravity direction.

2. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the first alignment member further comprises
a first upper surface extending from an upper end of the first contact surface toward the second alignment member in the width direction and configured to face the upper surface of the sheet that is in contact with the first contact surface,
wherein the second alignment member further comprises
a second upper surface extending from an upper end of the second contact surface toward the first alignment member in the width direction and configured to face the upper surface of the sheet that is in contact with the second contact surface, and
wherein the first and second upper portions are respectively arranged on the first and second upper surfaces.

3. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 2 ,
wherein the first upper surface is inclined so as to be further upward as the first upper surface extends toward the second alignment member in the width direction, and the second upper surface is inclined so as to be further upward as the second upper surface extends toward the first alignment member in the width direction, and
wherein the first upper portion is an end portion of the first upper surface adjacent to the upper end of the first contact surface, and the second upper portion is an end portion of the second upper surface adjacent to the upper end of the second contact surface.

4. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 2 ,
wherein the conveyance member is a conveyance roller pair, and each of the first and second upper surfaces comprises a portion that intersects with a tangent line of the conveyance roller pair at a nip portion of the conveyance roller pair when viewed in the width direction.

5. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 2 ,
wherein the second alignment member further extends downstream in the conveyance direction than a downstream end of the first alignment member in the conveyance direction, and
wherein the second lower surface of the second alignment member comprises a first portion facing the second upper surface and a second portion arranged downstream of the second upper surface in the conveyance direction of the second alignment member so that the second portion is not covered by the second upper surface, the second portion being further upward as the second portion extends downstream in the conveyance direction with respect to a direction in which the first portion extends when viewed in the width direction.

6. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 5 , further comprising a conveyance direction alignment portion configured to align a position in the conveyance direction of the sheet aligned by the alignment portion,
wherein the alignment portion is capable of aligning both a sheet having a first size and a sheet having a second size that has a length in the conveyance direction greater than the first size, and the second portion of the second lower surface is positioned in the conveyance direction between a downstream end of the sheet having the first size aligned by the conveyance direction alignment portion and a downstream end of the sheet having the second size aligned by the conveyance direction alignment portion.

7. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 2 ,
wherein the second lower surface of the second alignment member extends further downstream than a downstream end of the first alignment member in the conveyance direction, and the second lower surface comprises a first area facing the second upper surface and a second area arranged downstream of the second upper surface in the conveyance direction so that the second area is not covered by the second upper surface.

8. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 7 ,
wherein the conveyance member is a conveyance roller pair,
wherein the second alignment member is configured such that a distance between the first area of the second lower surface and the second upper surface in the gravity direction decreases as the first area extends downstream in the conveyance direction, and
wherein the second upper surface comprises a portion that intersects with a tangent line of the conveyance roller pair at a nip portion of the conveyance roller pair when viewed in the width direction.

9. Th

Assignees

• Canon Kk

Inventors

• Okawa Yuichiro
• Nakahara Yasuhiro
• Fukatsu Masayoshi
• Maeda Naoyuki

Classifications

• B65H31/02

  with stationary end support against which pile accumulates · CPC title

• B65H2405/115

  Cover · CPC title

• B65H31/34

  Apparatus for squaring-up piled articles · CPC title

• B65H31/04 Primary

  with movable end support arranged to recede as pile accumulates · CPC title

• G03G15/6529

  Transporting (G03G15/6555 takes precedence) · CPC title