Sheet stacking device and printing apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11760591-B2
Application number	US-202117552602-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 16, 2021
Priority date	Jan 22, 2021
Publication date	Sep 19, 2023
Grant date	Sep 19, 2023

Abstract

A sheet stacking device include a guide unit and a blower. The guide unit receives a downstream end of a sheet in a sheet conveyance direction and guides the sheet downstream in the sheet conveyance direction. The blower blows air toward the sheet guided by the guide unit. A region of the blower from which the air is blown is changeable in response to a size of the sheet.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A sheet stacking device comprising:
a conveyance roller pair configured to guide a sheet in a sheet conveyance direction,
a guide unit configured to receive a downstream end of the sheet conveyed in the sheet conveyance direction directly from the conveyance roller pair and guide the sheet downstream in the sheet conveyance direction, the guide unit separated from the conveyance roller pair; and
a blower configured to blow air perpendicular to and toward a face of the sheet guided by the guide unit, a region of the blower from which the air is blown being changeable in response to a size of the sheet.

2. The sheet stacking device according to claim 1 ,
wherein an amount of the air blown from the blower is changeable in response to a weight of the sheet guided by the guide unit.

3. The sheet stacking device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the blower includes multiple airflow generators, and
wherein the region of the blower from which the air is blown is changeable by changing one or more of the multiple airflow generators to be driven.

4. The sheet stacking device according to claim 3 ,
wherein the guide unit includes multiple endless belts configured to circumferentially rotate,
wherein the multiple endless belts are disposed at an interval in a direction perpendicular to the sheet conveyance direction, and
wherein the multiple airflow generators are disposed between the multiple endless belts.

5. The sheet stacking device according to claim 1 , further comprising a holder holding the blower,
wherein the guide unit includes an endless belt configured to circumferentially rotate, and
wherein the holder is configured to move in a direction perpendicular to the sheet conveyance direction in a loop of the endless belt.

6. The sheet stacking device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the blower includes:
an opposing member having an opening through which the blower blows the air; and
a shutter facing the opposing member, the shutter configured to open and close the opening.

7. A printing apparatus comprising:
the sheet stacking device according to claim 1 ; and
an image forming unit disposed upstream from the sheet stacking device in the sheet conveyance direction and configured to perform printing on the sheet.

8. The sheet stacking device according to claim 1 , wherein the guide unit includes a guide part having a gap with a wider thickness than a thickness of the sheet, the guide part configured to contact and guide a leading end of the sheet without gripping the sheet.

9. A sheet stacking device comprising:
a guide unit configured to receive a downstream end of a sheet conveyed in a sheet conveyance direction and guide the sheet downstream in the sheet conveyance direction, the guide unit including multiple endless belts configured to circumferentially rotate, the multiple endless belts being disposed at an interval in a direction perpendicular to the sheet conveyance direction; and
a blower including multiple airflow generators and configured to blow air toward the sheet guided by the guide unit, a region of the blower from which the air is blown being changeable in response to a size of the sheet, the multiple airflow generators are disposed between the multiple endless belts.

10. The sheet stacking device according to claim 9 ,
wherein an amount of the air blown from the blower is changeable in response to a weight of the sheet guided by the guide unit.

11. The sheet stacking device according to claim 9 , wherein the region of the blower from which the air is blown is changeable by changing one or more of the multiple airflow generators to be driven.

12. The sheet stacking device according to claim 9 , further comprising a holder holding the blower,
wherein the guide unit includes an endless belt configured to circumferentially rotate, and
wherein the holder is configured to move in a direction perpendicular to the sheet conveyance direction in a loop of the endless belt.

13. The sheet stacking device according to claim 9 ,
wherein the blower includes:
an opposing member having an opening through which the blower blows the air; and
a shutter facing the opposing member, the shutter configured to open and close the opening.

14. A printing apparatus comprising:
the sheet stacking device according to claim 9 ; and
an image forming unit disposed upstream from the sheet stacking device in the sheet conveyance direction and configured to perform printing on the sheet.

Assignees

• Tamura Tomonori
• Ricoh Co Ltd

Inventors

• Tamura Tomonori

Classifications

• B65H29/125 Primary

  between two sets of rollers · CPC title

• B65H3/48 Primary

  Air blast acting on edges of, or under, articles · CPC title

• B65H29/14

  and introducing into a pile · CPC title

• B65H2801/15

  Digital printing machines · CPC title

• B65H2801/21

  Industrial-size printers, e.g. rotary printing press · CPC title