Recording medium post-processing apparatus, printer unit with the same, recording medium post-processing method, and non-transitory computer-readable medium storing recording medium post-processing instructions

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9346293-B2
Application number	US-201514881208-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 13, 2015
Priority date	Jan 26, 2012
Publication date	May 24, 2016
Grant date	May 24, 2016

Abstract

A recording medium post-processing apparatus includes: a stacker which is stacked with a plurality of sheet-like recording media with images being recorded thereon; an receiving device which receives at least one of information regarding the images to be recorded on the recording media and information regarding the recording media; an alignment device which applies an external force to the recording media stacked on the stacker so as to align the recording media; a controller which sets, on the basis of the at least one information received by the receiving device, at least one of (i) a stacked-sheet number that is the number of the recording media, and (ii) a magnitude of the external force that is applied to the recording media and which controls the alignment device on the basis of the setted at least one of the stacked-sheet number and the magnitude of the external force.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A recording medium post-processing apparatus comprising:
a stacker configured to be stacked with a plurality of sheet-like recording media with images being recorded thereon;
an alignment device configured to apply an external force to the plurality of recording media stacked on the stacker so as to align the plurality of recording media stacked on the stacker; and

a controller configured to:
obtain a number of a currently-stacked-recording-media that is a plurality of recording media being currently stacked on the stacker;
control the alignment device to apply the external force to the currently-stacked-recording media when the obtained number of the currently-stacked-recording-media is equal to or greater than a reference number;
determine whether at least one of the currently-stacked-recording-media is performed in a two-side printing or not; and
reduce the reference number from a first number to a second number that is less than the first number when it is determined that the at least one of the currently-stacked-recording-media is performed in the two-side printing.

2. A printer unit comprising:
the recording medium post-processing apparatus according to claim 1 ; and
an image forming apparatus configured to supply the recording media to the stacker of the recording medium post-processing apparatus.

3. A recording medium post-treatment method of a recording medium post-processing apparatus which comprises (i) a stacker configured to be stacked with a plurality of sheet-like recording media with images being recorded thereon, and (ii) an alignment device configured to apply an external force to the plurality of recording media stacked on the stacker so as to align the plurality of recording media stacked on the stacker, comprising:
a step of obtaining a number of a currently-stacked-recording-media that is a plurality of recording media being currently stacked on the stacker;
a step of controlling the alignment device to apply the external force to the currently-stacked-recording media when the obtained number of the currently-stacked-recording-media is equal to or greater than a reference number;
a step of determining whether at least one of the currently-stacked-recording-media is performed in a two-side printing or not; and
a step of reducing the reference number from a first number to a second number that is less than the first number when it is determined that the at least one of the currently-stacked-recording-media is performed in the two-side printing.

4. A non-transitory, computer-readable medium storing computer-readable instructions therein that, when executed by a processor of a recording medium post-processing apparatus which comprises (i) a stacker configured to be stacked with a plurality of sheet-like recording media with images being recorded thereon, and (ii) an alignment device configured to apply an external force to the plurality of recording media stacked on the stacker so as to align the plurality of recording media stacked on the stacker, cause the recording medium post-processing apparatus to perform the steps of:
obtaining a number of a currently-stacked-recording-media that is a plurality of recording media being currently stacked on the stacker;
controlling the alignment device to apply the external force to the currently-stacked-recording media when the obtained number of the currently-stacked-recording-media is equal to or greater than a reference number;
determining whether at least one of the currently-stacked-recording-media is performed in a two-side printing or not; and
reducing the reference number from a first number to a second number that is less than the first number when it is determined that the at least one of the currently-stacked-recording-media is performed in the two-side printing.

Assignees

• Brother Ind Ltd

Inventors

• Itogawa Yoshihiro

Classifications

• B65H39/10

  Associating articles from a single source, to form, e.g. a writing-pad {(laminating B32B37/00, B32B38/00)} · CPC title

• B65H31/38

  Apparatus for vibrating or knocking the pile during piling · CPC title

• B41J13/26 Primary

  Registering devices · CPC title

• B65H2301/36

  Positioning; Changing position · CPC title

• B41J13/106 Primary

  for the sheet output section · CPC title