Sheet insert device, sheet processing apparatus and sheet processing method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9394124-B2
Application number	US-201414534872-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 6, 2014
Priority date	Nov 11, 2013
Publication date	Jul 19, 2016
Grant date	Jul 19, 2016

Abstract

According to one embodiment, a sheet insert device includes a cassette having a plurality of containing portions each of which contains a plurality of sheets in a vertically stacked state, a moving structure to move the cassette so that the plurality of containing portions are arranged in turn at a pulling-out position, a grip arm to grip the plurality of sheets contained in the containing portion arranged at the pulling-out position in the stacking direction, and a transferring structure which moves the grip arm, to pull out the plurality of sheets at the pulling-out position which are gripped by the grip arm from the containing portion, and transfers the plurality of sheets to a sheet loading part without changing the posture.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A sheet insert device comprising:
a cassette having a plurality of containing portions each of which contains a plurality of sheets in a vertically stacked state;
a moving structure to move the cassette so that the plurality of containing portions are arranged in turn at a pulling-out position;
a grip arm to grip the plurality of sheets contained in the containing portion arranged at the pulling-out position in a stacking direction; and
a transferring structure which moves the grip arm, to pull out the plurality of sheets at the pulling-out position which are gripped by the grip arm from the containing portion, and transfers the plurality of sheets to a sheet loading part without changing the posture;
an inverting structure to raise the cassette from a first posture in which the containing portion contains the plurality of sheets in an uprising state, to a second posture in which the plurality of sheets contained in the containing portion are vertically stacked.

2. The device of claim 1 , wherein the cassette includes:
a plurality of partition plates which partition the cassette so as to compose the plurality of containing portions;
a backboard to which one end edges of the sheets in a longitudinal direction contact, when the plurality of sheets are vertically stacked;
a pair of side panels which are provided at both sides of the backboard, and to which both end edges of the sheets in a wide direction respectively contact, when the plurality of sheets are vertically stacked; and
wherein the plurality of partition plates have each a cutout of a comb teeth shape to pass a claw formed on the grip arm.

3. The device of claim 1 , wherein the grip arm includes:
a lower arm configured to be arranged at a bottom wall of the containing portion arranged at the pulling-out position; and
an upper arm which is provided vertically movably so as to sandwich the plurality of sheets of the containing portion with the lower arm.

4. The device of claim 1 , wherein the second posture is a posture in which the cassette is tilted at a prescribed angle, and the inverting structure raises the cassette so that the cassette is tilted at the prescribed angle.

5. The device of claim 1 , wherein the inverting structure includes:
a sustain frame to load the cassette and slidably sustain the cassette; and
a rotary shaft to rotatably sustain the sustain frame.

6. The device of claim 1 , further comprising:
an accepting portion to accept a plurality of the cassettes in the first posture; and
a conveying structure to sequentially convey the cassettes from the accepting portion to an inverted position of the cassette by the inverting structure.

7. The device of claim 1 , wherein the transferring structure includes:
a frame to which the grip arm is attached;
a first air cylinder to move the frame in a first direction which is tilted against a slide stage; and
a second air cylinder to move the slide stage in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction.

8. A sheet processing apparatus comprising:
a cassette having a plurality of containing portions each of which contains a plurality of sheets in a vertically stacked state;
a moving structure to move the cassette so that the plurality of containing portions are arranged in turn at a pulling-out position;
a grip arm to grip the plurality of sheets contained in the containing portion arranged at the pulling-out position in a stacking direction;
a transferring structure which moves the grip arm, to pull out the plurality of sheets at the pulling-out position which are gripped by the grip arm from the containing portion, and transfers the plurality of sheets to a sheet loading part without changing the posture; and
an inspection portion to take out the plurality of sheets transferred to the sheet loading part by the transferring structure one by one and inspect the sheet;
an inverting structure to raise the cassette from a first posture in which the containing portion contains the plurality of sheets in an uprising state, to a second posture in which the plurality of sheets contained in the containing portion are vertically stacked.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the cassette includes:
a plurality of partition plates which partition the cassette so as to compose the plurality of containing portions;
a backboard to which one end edges of the sheets in a longitudinal direction contact, when the plurality of sheets are vertically stacked;
a pair of side panels which are provided at both sides of the backboard, and to which both end edges of the sheets in a wide direction respectively contact, when the plurality of sheets are vertically stacked; and
wherein the plurality of partition plates have each a cutout of a comb teeth shape to pass a claw formed on the grip arm.

10. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the grip arm includes:
a lower arm configured to be arranged at a bottom wall of the containing portion arranged at the pulling-out position; and
an upper arm which is provided vertically movably so as to sandwich the plurality of sheets of the containing portion with the lower arm.

11. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the second posture is a posture in which the cassette is tilted at a prescribed angle, and the inverting structure raises the cassette so that the cassette is tilted at the prescribed angle.

12. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the inverting structure includes:
a sustain frame to load the cassette and slidably sustain the cassette; and
a rotary shaft to rotatably sustain the sustain frame.

13. The apparatus of claim 8 , further comprising:
an accepting portion to accept a plurality of the cassettes in the first posture; and
a conveying structure to sequentially convey the cassettes from the accepting portion to an inverted position of the cassette by the inverting structure.

14. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the transferring structure includes:
a frame to which the grip arm is attached;
a first air cylinder to move the frame in a first direction which is tilted against a slide stage; and
a second air cylinder to move the slide stage in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction.

15. A sheet processing method comprising:
housing a plurality of sheets in a stacked state in respective containing portions of a plurality of the containing portions formed in a cassette;
moving the cassette so that the plurality of containing portions are arranged in turn at a pulling-out position;
gripping the plurality of sheets contained in the containing portion arranged at the pulling-out position in a stacking direction by a grip arm; and
moving the grip arm which has gripped the sheets, to pull out the plurality of sheets at the pulling-out position which are gripped by the grip arm from the containing portion, and transferring the plurality of sheets to a sheet loading part without changing the posture;
raising the cassette from a first posture in which the containing portion contains the plurality of sheets in an uprising state, to a second posture in which the plurality of sheets contained in the containing portion are vertically stacked.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein
the second posture is a posture in which the cassette is tilted at a prescribed angle.

17. The method of claim 15 , further comprising:
taking out the plurality of sheets transferred to the sheet loading part one by one and inspecting the sheet; and
sorting and stacking the sheets for each prescribed number of sheets based on the inspection result.

Assignees

• Toshiba Kk

Inventors

• Tsuji Iwao
• Mukai Kazuhiro

Classifications

• B65H1/14 Primary

  comprising positively-acting mechanical devices {(B65H1/025 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• B65H2405/332

  Superposed compartments · CPC title

• B65H2701/1912

  Banknotes, bills and cheques or the like · CPC title

• B65H1/30

  with means for replenishing the pile during continuous separation of articles therefrom {(B65H1/22 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• G07D7/12

  Visible light, infrared or ultraviolet radiation · CPC title