Paper stacking device and image forming system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11084679-B2
Application number	US-201916682414-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 13, 2019
Priority date	Nov 21, 2018
Publication date	Aug 10, 2021
Grant date	Aug 10, 2021

Abstract

A paper stacking device includes: a stacker on which paper is stacked; a paper ejector that ejects the paper; an aligning plate that is provided on a side of the paper, and aligns a side end of the paper; a paper floating member that is provided in the aligning plate, and supports, from below, the side end of the paper; and a blower that is provided on the side of the paper across the aligning plate, and blows air, wherein the aligning plate includes a blowing opening through which air from the blower is blown, the paper floating member is switched between: a paper floating position; and a retreat position, when the paper floating member is located in the paper floating position, the blowing opening is opened, and when the paper floating member is located in the retreat position, the blowing opening is shielded.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A paper stacking device comprising:
a stacker on which paper is stacked;
a paper ejector that ejects the paper toward the stacker;
an aligning plate that is provided on a side of the paper stacked on the stacker, and aligns a side end of the paper;
a paper floating member that is provided in the aligning plate, and supports, from below, the side end of the paper ejected from the paper ejector; and
a blower that is provided on the side of the paper across the aligning plate, and blows air,
wherein the aligning plate includes a blowing opening through which air from the blower is blown to the side end of the paper,
the paper floating member is switched between:
a paper floating position that advances from a side of the side end of the paper to an ejection mute of the paper, and causes the paper ejected from the paper ejector to float from uppermost paper stacked on the stacker; and
a retreat position that retreats from the ejection route,
when the paper floating member is located in the paper floating position, the blowing opening is opened, and
when the paper floating member is located in the retreat position, the blowing opening is shielded.

2. The paper stacking device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the paper floating member is switched from the retreat position to the paper floating position in accordance with the paper ejected from the paper ejector, and then, the paper floating member is switched from the paper floating position to the retreat position.

3. The paper stacking device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the paper floating member has a longitudinal shape extending more forward than the aligning plate, and
when the paper floating member is located in the paper floating position, the paper floating member forms a wall along the aligning plate on a front side of the aligning plate.

4. The paper stacking device according to claim 1 , further comprising
a hardware processor that switches an air volume of the blower on the basis of information relating to the paper to be ejected from the paper ejector.

5. The paper stacking device according to claim 4 ,
wherein the hardware processor selects whether to perform an operation to switch the paper floating position and the retreat position, in accordance with the information relating to the paper to be ejected from the paper ejector.

6. An image forming system comprising:
an image forming apparatus that forms an image on paper; and
a paper processing apparatus that performs processing on the paper that has been fed from the image forming apparatus,
wherein the paper processing apparatus includes the paper stacking device according to claim 1 to which the paper on which the processing has been performed is ejected.

Assignees

• Konica Minolta Inc

Inventors

• Tsuchiya Tsuyoshi

Classifications

• B65H2515/20

  Volume; Volume flow · CPC title

• B65H2404/7414

  pivotable · CPC title

• G03G15/6552

  Means for discharging uncollated sheet copy material, e.g. discharging rollers, exit trays · CPC title

• G03G15/6573

  Feeding path after the fixing point and up to the discharge tray or the finisher, e.g. special treatment of copy material to compensate for effects from the fixing · CPC title

• B65H2801/06

  Office-type machines, e.g. photocopiers · CPC title