Medium processing apparatus, post-processing apparatus, and medium transporting apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10954091-B2
Application number	US-201916366050-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 27, 2019
Priority date	Mar 30, 2018
Publication date	Mar 23, 2021
Grant date	Mar 23, 2021

Abstract

A suction mechanism for suctioning a loop transporting belt a medium processed by a processing unit, a rotation mechanism for rotating the transporting belt, a stacker for stacking the medium transported by the transporting belt, and a change mechanism for changing a movable area are included. The rotation mechanism, after suctioning the medium to the transporting belt to rotate in a first rotation direction to transport the medium in a first transport direction, rotates the transporting belt in a second rotation direction to transport the medium in a second transport direction to stack the medium on a stacker. The change mechanism narrows a movable area when the medium is transported in the second transport direction compared to an area when the medium is transported in the first transport direction.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A medium processing apparatus, comprising:
a processing unit for processing a medium;
a suction mechanism for suctioning a loop transporting belt the medium processed by the processing unit;
a rotation mechanism for rotating the transporting belt in a first rotation direction and in a second rotation direction opposite to the first rotation direction;
a stacker for stacking the medium transported by the transporting belt; and
a change mechanism for changing an area in which the medium is displaceable in a space between the transporting belt and the stacker, wherein
the suction mechanism suctions a second surface of the medium, which is on an opposite side of the medium from a stacker-side first surface, to the transport belt,
the rotation mechanism, after suctioning the medium to the transporting belt to rotate in the first rotation direction to transport the medium in a first transport direction, rotates the transporting belt in the second rotation direction to transport the medium in a second transport direction to stack the medium on the stacker, and
the change mechanism narrows the area when the medium is transported in the second transport direction compared to an area when the medium is transported in the first transport direction.

2. The medium processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the change mechanism includes a movable guide that is movable between a first guide position and a second guide position closer to the stacker than to the first guide position, and
the movable guide positioned at the second guide position contacts the second surface of the medium transported in the second transport direction.

3. The medium processing apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein
the second guide position is changed in accordance with a number of the media stacked on the stacker, and
a distance between the movable guide positioned at the second guide position and the stacker when the number of the media stacked is large, is larger than a distance between the movable guide positioned at the second guide position and the stacker when the number of the media stacked is small.

4. The medium processing apparatus according to claim 3 , further comprising:
a control unit that controls the second guide position of the movable guide in accordance with the number of the media stacked on the stacker.

5. The medium processing apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the movable guide positioned at the second guide position is contactable with the medium stacked on the stacker, is pushed by the medium transported in the second transport direction and moves in a direction separating away from the stacker.

6. The medium processing apparatus according to claim 2 , further comprising:
a pair of adjusting members that adjusts, in a width direction orthogonal to the first transport direction, the medium stacked on the stacker, wherein
a notch is formed on the adjusting member, which avoids contact with the movable guide positioned at the second guide position in an operation in which the adjusting member adjusts the medium.

7. The medium processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the transporting belt is movable between a first belt position and a second belt position closer to the stacker than the first belt position, and
the change mechanism
positions the transporting belt at the first belt position when the medium is transported in the first transport direction, and
positions the transporting belt in the second belt position when the medium is moved in the second transport direction.

8. The medium processing apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a pair of adjusting members that moves relatively in a width direction orthogonal to the first transport direction to adjust the medium stacked on the stacker, wherein
the adjusting member includes
a first guide surface that adjusts an end of the medium in the width direction, and
a second guide surface that is at a position closer to the transporting belt than the first guide surface, and guides the first surface of the medium on an inner side of the first guide surface in the width direction.

9. The medium processing apparatus according to claim 8 , further comprising:
an air blowing unit that blows air toward the first surface of the medium when the medium is transported in the second transport direction.

10. The medium processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the suction mechanism suctions the transporting belt the medium by a draw-in unit in which air is drawn in through holes formed in the transporting belt or by an electrostatic suction unit in which the medium and the transporting belt are made electrically charged.

11. A post-processing apparatus, comprising:
a suction mechanism for suctioning a discharged medium to a loop transporting belt a discharged medium;
a rotation mechanism for rotating the transporting belt in a first rotation direction and in a second rotation direction opposite to the first rotation direction;
an intermediate stacker for stacking the medium transported by the transporting belt;
a post-processing mechanism for performing post-processing on the medium stacked on the intermediate stacker;
a discharging stacker for stacking the medium delivered from the intermediate stacker; and
a change mechanism for changing an area in which the medium is displaceable between the transporting belt and the intermediate stacker, wherein
the suction mechanism suctions a second surface of the medium, which is on an opposite side of the medium from a stacker-side first surface, to the transport belt,
the rotation mechanism, after suctioning the medium to the transporting belt to rotate in the first rotation direction to transport the medium in a first transport direction, rotates the transporting belt in the second rotation direction to transport the medium in a second transport direction to stack the medium on the intermediate stacker, and
the change mechanism narrows the area when the medium is transported in the second transport direction compared to an area when the medium is transported in the first transport direction.

12. A medium transporting apparatus, comprising:
a suction mechanism for suctioning a discharged medium to a loop transporting belt;
a rotation mechanism for rotating the transporting belt in a first rotation direction and in a second rotation direction opposite to the first rotation direction;
a stacker for stacking the medium transported by the transporting belt; and
a change mechanism for changing an area in which the medium is displaceable in a space between the transporting belt and the stacker, wherein
the suction mechanism suctions a second surface of the medium, which is on opposite side of the medium from a stacker-side first surface, to the transport belt,
the rotation mechanism, after suctioning the medium to the transporting belt to rotate in the first rotation direction to transport the medium in a first transport direction, rotating the transporting belt in the second rotation direction to transport the medium in a second transport direction to stack the medium on the stacker, and
the change mechanism narrows the area when the medium is transported in the second transport direction compared to an area when the medium is transported in the first transport direction.

Assignees

• Seiko Epson Corp

Inventors

• Ohashi Kazuyoshi
• Nakahata Akinobu
• Furumido Tsuyoshi

Classifications

• B65H2406/323

  Overhead suction belt, i.e. holding material against gravity · CPC title

• B65H2301/44734

  overhead, i.e. hanging material ba attraction forces, e.g. suction, magnetic forces · CPC title

• B65H2404/7414

  pivotable · CPC title

• B41J13/0045

  concerning sheet refeed sections of automatic paper handling systems, e.g. intermediate stackers (printing on both faces B41J3/60) · CPC title

• B65H29/54

  Article strippers, e.g. for stripping from advancing elements · CPC title