Medium aligning apparatus, medium processing apparatus, and recording system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11447349-B2
Application number	US-202016895021-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 8, 2020
Priority date	Jun 11, 2019
Publication date	Sep 20, 2022
Grant date	Sep 20, 2022

Abstract

A medium aligning apparatus includes a load tray including a load surface on which a medium discharged from a discharge member that discharges a medium is loaded, a first aligning surface that aligns a plurality of mediums loaded on the load tray by positioning rear ends of the mediums, and a second aligning surface that aligns the mediums by positioning the rear ends of the mediums loaded on the load tray. In the medium aligning apparatus, the first aligning surface and the second aligning surface are switchable, and an angle formed between a wall surface in the discharge tray that receives the mediums discharged from the load tray, the wall surface having the rear ends of the mediums come in contact therewith, and the second aligning surface is smaller than an angle formed between the wall surface and the first aligning surface.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A medium aligning apparatus comprising:
a discharge member that discharges a medium;
a load tray including a load surface on which the medium discharged by the discharge member is loaded;
a first aligning surface and a second aligning surface that align rear ends of a plurality of mediums loaded on the load tray;
a discharge tray on which the mediums discharged from the load tray are mounted; and
a wall surface that aligns the rear ends of the mediums on the discharge tray, wherein
the first aligning surface and the second aligning surface are switchable to be selected to align the ends of the mediums while the mediums are being loaded on the load tray,
either the first aligning surface or the second aligning surface is selected to align the ends of the mediums, and
an angle formed between the wall surface and the second aligning surface is smaller than an angle formed between the wall surface and the first aligning surface.

2. The medium aligning apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
an angle formed between the load surface of the load tray and the first aligning surface is 90°, and
an angle formed between the wall surface and the second aligning surface is 0°.

3. The medium aligning apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the load surface of the load tray and a support surface of the discharge tray that supports a medium are inclined upwards towards a downstream side in a discharge direction.

4. The medium aligning apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
when, at least, a process is not to be performed on the mediums loaded on the load tray, the rear ends of the mediums are aligned using the second aligning surface.

5. The medium aligning apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the first aligning surface and the second aligning surface are formed of different members.

6. The medium aligning apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein
the second aligning surface is provided on a rotatable rotation member, and
a first state in which the second aligning surface is advanced above the load tray and a second state in which the second aligning surface is retracted from above the load tray are switchable by rotation of the rotation member.

7. The medium aligning apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the first aligning surface and the second aligning surface are formed of a same member.

8. The medium aligning apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein
the first aligning surface and the second aligning surface are provided on a rotatable rotation member, and
a first state in which the rear ends of the mediums are aligned with the second aligning surface and a second state in which the rear ends of the mediums are aligned with the first aligning surface are switchable by rotation of the rotation member.

9. A medium processing apparatus comprising:
medium aligning apparatuses according to claim 1 ; and
a processing portion that is, with respect to the load tray, positioned upstream in a direction in which the medium is discharged by the discharge member, the processing portion performing a process on the medium loaded on the load tray.

10. A recording system comprising:
a recording unit that includes a recording member that performs recording on a medium; and
a medium processing apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein the medium processing apparatus performs a process on a recorded medium recorded in the recording unit.

11. The medium aligning apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the load surface of the load tray and a support surface of the discharge tray that supports a medium are parallel to each other.

12. The medium processing apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein:
the first aligning surface includes a plurality of first aligning portions,
the second aligning surface includes a plurality of second aligning portions,
the first aligning portions and the second aligning portions are disposed on both sides of a center position of the medium processing apparatus in a width direction that is a direction intersecting a discharge direction of a medium.

13. The medium aligning apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein when a process is to be performed on the plurality of mediums, the rear ends of the plurality of mediums are aligned by the first aligning surface, and when a process is not to be performed on the plurality of mediums, the rear ends of the plurality of mediums are aligned by the second aligning surface.

14. The medium aligning apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the second aligning surface is configured to switch between (1) a first state, in which the second aligning surface is advanced above the load tray, and (2) a second state, in which the second aligning surface is retracted below the load tray,
when a process is not to be performed on the plurality of mediums, the second aligning surface is switched to the first state, such that the rear ends of the plurality of mediums are aligned by the second aligning surface, and
when a process is to be performed on the plurality of mediums, the second aligning surface is switched to the second state, such that the rear ends of the plurality of mediums are aligned by the first aligning surface.

15. The medium aligning apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the first aligning surface and the second aligning surface are provided at positions shifted from each other in a width direction that is a direction intersecting a discharge direction of a medium.

Assignees

• Seiko Epson Corp

Inventors

• Nakazawa Atsushi

Classifications

• B65H2405/1136

  inclined, i.e. forming an angle different from 90 with the bottom · CPC title

• B65H31/3045

  on the outermost articles of the pile for clamping the pile · CPC title

• B65H2405/1134

  movable, e.g. pivotable · CPC title

• B65H31/02 Primary

  with stationary end support against which pile accumulates · CPC title

• B65H2801/27

  Devices located downstream of office-type machines · CPC title