Sheet stacking apparatus and image forming apparatus provided with the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11667488-B2
Application number	US-202017113500-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 7, 2020
Priority date	Dec 20, 2019
Publication date	Jun 6, 2023
Grant date	Jun 6, 2023

Abstract

In order to provide a sheet stacking apparatus for maintaining alignment characteristics of long-length sheets, the sheet stacking apparatus is a sheet stacking apparatus located above in a pair of sheet stacking apparatuses provided to overlap vertically along a vertical direction, and is provided with a first stacking section for stacking sheets, a second stacking section provided to extend from a downstream end of the first stacking section in a sheet transport direction and connected to the first stacking section rotatably, and a third stacking section which is attached to the second stacking section to extend from a downstream end of the second stacking section in the sheet transport direction, includes an inclined angle with respect to a horizontal surface smaller than in the second placing face, and which is attachable and detachable with respect to the second stacking section in a rotation direction.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A sheet placing apparatus for placing sheets, comprising:
a first placing face on which sheets are placed;
a second placing face provided on a downstream side of the first placing face in a sheet discharge direction, on which sheets are placed; and
a third placing face provided on a downstream side of the second placing face in the sheet discharge direction, on which sheets are placed, wherein
the second placing face is provided upwardly rotatably on the downstream side of the first placing face in the sheet discharge direction with an inclined angle with respect to a horizontal surface smaller than an angle of the first placing face,
the third placing face is provided downwardly rotatably on the downstream side of the second placing face in the sheet discharge direction with an inclined angle with respect to the horizontal surface smaller than the angle of the second placing face, and
the third placing face is provided to be attachable and detachable with respect to the second placing face in a rotation direction.

2. The sheet placing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the third placing face is provided so that a contact area with the discharged sheet is smaller than in the second placing face.

3. The sheet placing apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the third placing face is comprised of a plurality of linear members capable of being elastically deformed, and the second placing face is provided with a regulation portion for regulating a deformation shift of the linear members.

4. The sheet placing apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the regulation portion of the second placing face faces downwardly, and the plurality of linear members is rotationally attached to the second placing face and elastically engaged with the regulation portion so that when a predetermined force is applied to the plurality of linear members in a drop direction, the plurality of linear members is disengaged from the regulation portion and rotates downwardly.

5. The sheet placing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the second placing face is provided to rotate when a downstream end of the third placing face in a sheet transport direction interferes with a succeeding apparatus connected to the downstream side in the sheet transport direction.

6. An image forming apparatus comprising:
an image forming section adapted to form an image on a sheet; and
the sheet placing apparatus according to claim 1 to stack the sheet with the image formed in the image forming section.

Assignees

• Asakawa Tatsuya
• Kawasaki Tetsuya
• Takano Tadahito
• Canon Finetech Nisca Inc

Inventors

• Asakawa Tatsuya
• Kawasaki Tetsuya
• Takano Tadahito

Classifications

• B65H2405/1117

  pivotable, e.g. around an axis perpendicular to transport direction, e.g. arranged at rear side of sheet support · CPC title

• B65H31/20

  adjustable for different article sizes · CPC title

• B65H2405/1116

  with means for changing geometry · CPC title

• B65H31/10 Primary

  and applied at the top of the pile · CPC title

• B65H29/22

  and introducing into a pile · CPC title