Sheet processing apparatus and image forming system having the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11249432-B2
Application number	US-202016775890-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 29, 2020
Priority date	Feb 15, 2019
Publication date	Feb 15, 2022
Grant date	Feb 15, 2022

Abstract

A sheet processing apparatus includes a stacking section provided on the downstream side of a collecting section in a transport direction outside an apparatus housing, an alignment section provided on the downstream side of the collecting section in the transport direction, above the stacking section, to be able to shift in a predetermined movable region so as to align a sheet width direction orthogonal to the transport direction of the sheet to be stacked on the stacking section, a shaft-direction drive mechanism for shifting the alignment section in the width direction orthogonal to the transport direction, an alignment plate rotation shaft member for axially supporting the alignment section rotatably, a shaft-direction drive source for operating the shaft-direction drive mechanism, and a neat housing for storing the shaft-direction drive mechanism and the alignment plate rotation shaft member inside the housing.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A sheet processing apparatus comprising:
an apparatus housing;
a transport section provided inside the apparatus housing to transport a sheet in a predetermined transport direction;
a collecting section adapted to collect sheets transported by the transport section to perform predetermined processing;
a discharge section adapted to discharge the sheets from the collecting section;
a stacking section provided on a downstream side of the collecting section in the transport direction outside the apparatus housing to stack sheets transported by the transport section or the discharge section;
an alignment section provided on the downstream side of the collecting section in the transport direction, above the stacking section, to be able to shift in a predetermined movable region so as to align a sheet width direction orthogonal to the transport direction of the sheet to be stacked on the stacking section;
a shaft-direction drive mechanism adapted to shift the alignment section in the sheet width direction orthogonal to the transport direction;
an alignment plate rotation shaft member adapted to axially support the alignment section rotatably;
a shaft-direction drive source adapted to operate the shaft-direction drive mechanism; and
a neat housing adapted to store the shaft-direction drive mechanism and the alignment plate rotation shaft member inside the neat housing,
wherein the shaft-direction drive source is disposed on the downstream side of the alignment plate rotation shaft member in the transport direction, inside the neat housing.

2. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the stacking section is provided with an inclined stacking section with a predetermined inclined angle such that a downstream side is gradually higher than an upstream side in the transport direction of a placement face, and
in a position opposed to the inclined stacking section of the neat housing is provided an inclined cover having an inclined angle substantially parallel with the predetermined inclined angle of the inclined stacking section.

3. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the inclined cover guides a sheet during transport.

4. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 3 , further comprising:
radial ribs in a guide face of the inclined cover for guiding a sheet.

5. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein on the downstream side of the inclined cover in the transport direction, inclination with an angle steeper than the predetermined inclined angle is provided in a face opposed to the inclined stacking face.

6. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the neat housing is provided with a scrapping paddle to scrape off the sheet discharged by the transport section or the discharge section to the stacking section.

7. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the alignment section is comprised of a pair of alignment plates for nipping the sheet in the sheet width direction from an apparatus front side and an apparatus rear side, and
the shaft-direction drive source of the alignment section is provided to drive each of the alignment plates on the apparatus front side and the apparatus rear side independently.

8. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the scraping paddle is provided on a rotation shaft, and the scraping paddle is supported by a paddle support member, and
in storing the paddle support member in an inclined face forming portion of the neat housing, a backside of the paddle support member is used as a paper feeding face.

9. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a binding section adapted to perform binding processing on sheets collected in the collecting section.

10. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising another stacking section located above the stacking section and attached to the apparatus housing outside the apparatus housing, the neat housing being located between the stacking section and another stacking section outside the apparatus housing.

11. An image forming system comprising:
an image forming apparatus adapted to form an image on a sheet to carry out the sheet with the image formed; and
the sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1 adapted to stack the sheet carried out of the image forming apparatus.

Assignees

• Komiyama Daiki
• Tsukui Akihiko
• Canon Finetech Nisca Inc

Inventors

• Komiyama Daiki
• Tsukui Akihiko

Classifications

• B65H31/24

  multiple or compartmented, e.d. for alternate, programmed, or selective filling · CPC title

• G03G15/6541 Primary

  Binding sets of sheets, e.g. by stapling, glueing · CPC title

• B65H2404/741

  movable in operation · CPC title

• B65H33/06

  by displacing articles to define batches · CPC title

• B65H33/08

  Displacing whole batches, e.g. forming stepped piles · CPC title