Finisher including height adjustment unit

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12098044-B2
Application number	US-202117928059-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 28, 2021
Priority date	May 29, 2020
Publication date	Sep 24, 2024
Grant date	Sep 24, 2024

Abstract

An example finisher includes a first portion extending in a vertical direction and including a height adjustment unit, a second portion extending from the first portion in a lateral direction and including a finishing unit to perform a finishing process, and a stacker to receive paper discharged from the finishing unit, the stacker extending in an opposite direction to the second portion in the lateral direction. The height adjustment unit is to adjust a height of the second portion from an installation surface and includes a base plate including a horizontal slot, a guide plate including an inclined slot, and a slide lever coupling the horizontal slot and the inclined slot.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A finisher comprising:
a first portion extending in a vertical direction and including a height adjustment unit;
a second portion extending from the first portion in a lateral direction and including a finishing unit to perform a finishing process; and
a stacker to receive paper discharged from the finishing unit, the stacker extending in an opposite direction to the second portion in the lateral direction,
wherein the height adjustment unit is to adjust a height of the second portion from an installation surface, the height adjustment unit including:
a base plate including a horizontal slot;
a guide plate including an inclined slot; and
a slide lever coupling the horizontal slot and the inclined slot.

2. The finisher of claim 1 , wherein the inclined slot includes a first section that is inclined relative to the horizontal slot, and a second section that is parallel to the horizontal slot.

3. The finisher of claim 1 , wherein the height adjustment unit further comprises:
a guiding unit including a stud, a post, a rail, a bushing, or a guide block; and
an elastic body including a compression spring, a constant force spring, or an extension spring.

4. The finisher of claim 1 , wherein the height adjustment unit further comprises:
a motor; and
a gear assembly to be driven by the motor to move the slide lever.

5. The finisher of claim 4 , further comprising:
a storage unit; and
a processor to control an operation of the motor.

6. A finisher comprising:
a first portion extending in a vertical direction and including a height adjustment unit;
a second portion extending from the first portion in a lateral direction and including a finishing unit to perform a finishing process; and
a stacker to receive paper discharged from the finishing unit, the stacker extending in an opposite direction to the second portion in the lateral direction,
wherein the height adjustment unit is to adjust a height of the second portion from an installation surface, the height adjustment unit including:
a motor; and
a gear assembly coupled to the motor to adjust the height of the second portion.

7. The finisher of claim 6 , wherein the gear assembly includes:
a motor gear to be driven by the motor;
a worm roller and a worm wheel, the worm roller to be driven by the motor gear; and
a rack gear and a pinion gear, the pinion gear to be driven by the worm wheel.

8. The finisher of claim 7 , further comprising:
a frame column, wherein the rack gear is located on the frame column; and
a frame base to receive the frame column, wherein the pinion gear is located within the frame base to couple with the rack gear.

9. The finisher of claim 8 ,
wherein the frame column includes an idle roller and a moving roller, and
wherein the frame base includes a channel to receive the idle roller and an inside wall to contact the moving roller.

10. The finisher of claim 6 , further comprising:
a storage unit including height information of an image forming apparatus and instructions to control the motor; and
a processor to:
obtain a current height of the second portion;
read the height information of the image forming apparatus from the storage unit; and
execute the instructions to control the motor according to a difference between the height information of the image forming apparatus and the current height of the second portion.

11. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium on which instructions for automatically controlling a height of a finisher is recorded, the non-transitory computer-readable recording medium comprising:
instructions to receive, from an image forming apparatus, identification information of the image forming apparatus;
instructions to obtain a docking height of the image forming apparatus;
instructions to obtain a height of a second portion of the finisher;
instructions to, if the height of the second portion is different from the docking height of the image forming apparatus, automatically change the height of the second portion and transmit docking instructions to the image forming apparatus; and
instructions to, if the height of the second portion matches the docking height of the image forming apparatus, transmit the docking instructions to the image forming apparatus.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium of claim 11 , wherein the instructions to transmit the docking instructions to the image forming apparatus include instructions to transmit a graphical user interface illustrating the docking of the finisher to the image forming apparatus.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium of claim 11 , wherein the identification information of the image forming apparatus includes a model number, a serial number, a manufacturer, or the docking height of the image forming apparatus.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium of claim 11 , wherein the instructions to obtain the docking height of the image forming apparatus comprise instructions to receive the docking height of the image forming apparatus from the image forming apparatus.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium of claim 11 , wherein the instructions to obtain the docking height of the image forming apparatus comprise instructions to obtain the docking height of the image forming apparatus from a storage unit of the finisher based on the received identification information of the image forming apparatus.

Assignees

• Hewlett Packard Development Co

Inventors

• Baek Taejin
• Kim Taehong
• Tae Wonic
• Kim Joonghyun
• Jeong Jewon
• Lee Wonkeun

Classifications

• B65H2408/121

  stationary stapler · CPC title

• B65H37/04

  for securing together articles or webs, e.g. by adhesive, stitching or stapling (adhering replacement to expiring web during change of web roll B65H19/18) · CPC title

• B65H31/26

  Auxiliary devices for retaining articles in the pile · CPC title

• B65H31/10

  and applied at the top of the pile · CPC title

• B65H2511/15

  Height, e.g. of stack · CPC title