Sheet post-processing apparatus and image forming system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016259288-A1
Application number	US-201514640104-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Mar 6, 2015
Priority date	Mar 6, 2015
Publication date	Sep 8, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

According to one embodiment, a sheet post-processing apparatus includes a standby unit, a processing unit, and a discharge unit. The standby unit puts a sheet on standby. The processing unit is disposed below the standby unit. The processing unit includes a conveyance reference plane, a distance between which and a conveyance reference plane for the sheet in the standby unit changes to decrease from an upstream side toward a downstream side in a conveying direction of the sheet. The processing unit processes the sheet supplied from the standby unit. The discharge unit is disposed on the downstream side in the conveying direction of each of the standby unit and the processing unit. The discharge unit is provided with an opening section for causing the sheet discharged from the standby unit or the processing unit to pass.

First claim

1 . A sheet post-processing apparatus comprising:
a standby unit configured to puts a sheet on standby; a processing unit disposed below the standby unit, including a conveyance reference plane, a distance between which and a conveyance reference plane for the sheet in the standby unit changes to decrease from an upstream side toward a downstream side in a conveying direction of the sheet, and configured to process the sheet supplied from the standby unit; a discharge unit disposed on the downstream side in the conveying direction of the processing unit and provided with an opening section allowing the sheet discharged from the processing unit to pass therethrough; and a corrugation forming unit configured to form a corrugation in a direction orthogonal to the conveying direction on the sheet in the standby unit.

2 . The apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a plurality of first rollers configured to form the conveyance reference plane in the standby unit and convey the sheet; and a plurality of second rollers configured to form the conveyance reference plane in the processing unit and convey the sheet, wherein a distance between the first roller downstream in the conveying direction in the standby unit among the plurality of first rollers and the second roller downstream in the conveying direction in the processing unit among the plurality of second rollers is relatively smaller than a distance in a vertical direction between the first roller upstream in the conveying direction in the standby unit among the plurality of first rollers and the second roller upstream in the conveying direction in the processing unit among the plurality of second rollers.

3 . The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the conveyance reference plane in the standby unit is a horizontal plane.

4 . (canceled)

5 . The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the corrugation forming unit includes:
a first roller configured to convey the sheet in the standby unit; and a projecting roller projecting upward from the conveyance reference plane in a position shifting from the first roller in a rotation axis direction of the first roller.

6 . The apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the corrugation forming unit includes a plurality of the projecting rollers disposed in positions at both end portions of the first roller in the rotation axis direction of the first roller.

7 . The apparatus according to claim 5 , further comprising:
a housing unit configured to house the projecting roller below the conveyance reference plane; and an elastic member configured to urge the projecting roller upward and project the projecting roller upward from the conveyance reference plane.

8 . The apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of rollers configured to form the conveyance reference plane in the processing unit and convey the sheet, wherein
in the plurality of rollers, a diameter of the roller most downstream in the conveying direction in the processing unit is relatively larger than a diameter of the rollers other than the most downstream roller.

9 . The apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein the most downstream roller projects further outward than the discharge unit.

10 . An image forming system comprising:
the sheet post-processing apparatus according to claim 1 ; an image forming unit configured to form an image on a sheet; and a conveying unit configured to convey the sheet, on which the image is formed, to the sheet post-processing apparatus.

11 . The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the discharge unit is disposed on the downstream side in the conveying direction of the standby unit and is provided with the opening section allowing the sheet discharged from the standby unit to pass therethrough.

12 . The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the standby unit is configured to drop the held sheet on standby onto the processing unit.

13 . The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the standby unit comprises:
a first tray member and a second tray member on which the sheet is placed; and a tray driving unit configured to move the first tray member and the second tray member to be separated from each other.

Assignees

• Toshiba Kk
• Toshiba Tec Kk

Inventors

• Dobashi Shoichi

Classifications

• G03G15/6582 Primary

  Special processing for irreversibly adding or changing the sheet copy material characteristics or its appearance, e.g. stamping, annotation printing, punching · CPC title

• B65H2801/27

  Devices located downstream of office-type machines · CPC title

• B65H29/125

  between two sets of rollers · CPC title

• B65H2301/4213

  of a limited number of articles, e.g. buffering, forming bundles · CPC title

• B65H2301/51214

  parallel to direction of displacement of handled material · CPC title