Sheet stacking apparatus, printing apparatus, control method, and storage medium

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11926150-B2
Application number	US-202117552585-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 16, 2021
Priority date	Dec 22, 2020
Publication date	Mar 12, 2024
Grant date	Mar 12, 2024

Abstract

A sheet stacking apparatus is provided. A conveyor unit performs stacking of sheets discharged from a printing apparatus and conveying of stacked sheets. A detection unit detects whether or not the printing apparatus is currently discharging a sheet. A control unit, so as to secure a stacking space for a sheet discharged from the printing apparatus on the conveyor unit, controls a feeding operation of the conveyor unit correspondingly to a period of time over which the detection unit detected that the printing apparatus is discharging a sheet.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A sheet stacking apparatus comprising:
a conveyor unit configured to perform stacking of sheets discharged from a printing apparatus and conveying of stacked sheets;
a detection unit configured to detect discharging of a sheet from the printing apparatus; and
a control unit configured to: (1) in a case where the detection unit detects discharging of a first sheet of a print job from the printing apparatus, start a feeding operation of the conveyor unit, and (2) in a case where the detection unit does not detect the discharging of the first sheet after the control unit starts the feeding operation, terminate the feeding operation.

2. The sheet stacking apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein in a case where a plurality of sheets is discharged from the printing apparatus according to the print job, even if the detection unit detects that the printing apparatus is discharging a subsequent sheet discharged after the first sheet of the print job, the control unit does not start the feeding operation of the conveyor unit.

3. The sheet stacking apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit, in a case where discharging of sheets from the printing apparatus based on the print job has finished, executes the feeding operation of the conveyor unit by a predetermined amount.

4. The sheet stacking apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit executes the feeding operation of the conveyor unit at a conveying speed of the conveyor unit based on a speed at which a sheet is discharged from the printing apparatus.

5. The sheet stacking apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the detection unit is provided downstream of a discharge unit of the printing apparatus in a discharging direction of the sheet so as to detect the sheet.

6. The sheet stacking apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the detection unit detects whether a discharge unit of the printing apparatus is driven.

Assignees

• Canon Kk

Inventors

• Nieda Kengo

Classifications

• B41J13/0045 Primary

  concerning sheet refeed sections of automatic paper handling systems, e.g. intermediate stackers (printing on both faces B41J3/60) · CPC title

• B65H33/16

  by depositing articles in batches on moving supports · CPC title

• B65H43/06

  detecting, or responding to, completion of pile (B65H43/08 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B65H2513/51

  Sequence of process · CPC title

• B65H31/02 Primary

  with stationary end support against which pile accumulates · CPC title