Image forming apparatus that includes a plurality of sheet storage portions

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9617090-B2
Application number	US-201314443978-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 12, 2013
Priority date	Nov 19, 2012
Publication date	Apr 11, 2017
Grant date	Apr 11, 2017

Abstract

An image forming apparatus of the invention includes an image forming unit configured to form an image on a sheet; a plurality of storage portions each configured to store the sheet with the image formed thereon by the image forming unit; an opening configured to expose the sheet stored in the storage portion to the outside; and a sheet moving unit configured to move the sheet until a leading edge of the sheet stored in the storage portion passes the opening and a portion of the sheet is exposed from the opening to the outside. The sheet moving unit exposes sheets stored in a plurality of the storage portions in a stacked manner from the opening.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An image forming apparatus comprising:
a main body formed with an opening;
an image forming unit configured to form an image on a sheet;
a plurality of storage portions each configured to store a sheet on which the image has been formed by the image forming unit inside the main body;
a sheet moving unit configured to move the sheet stored in each of the plurality of the storage portions, and stop the sheet in an exposure state in which a back part of the sheet including a back edge of the sheet is inside the main body and a front part of the sheet including a front edge of the sheet is exposed outside the main body through the opening;
an attribute information adding unit configured to add attribute information to print information corresponding to a sheet to be stored in the storage portion; and
a memory unit configured to store the attribute information added by the attribute information adding unit,
wherein the sheet moving unit moves a first sheet stored in a first storage portion and a second sheet stored in a second storage portion, the first sheet and the second sheet corresponding to predetermined information contained in the attribute information stored in the memory unit, and stops the first sheet and the second sheet in the exposure state, wherein the front part of the first sheet and the front part of the second sheet are exposed outside the main body through the same opening.

2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the predetermined information contained in the attribute information is a job number of a sheet.

3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the predetermined information contained in the attribute information is user information of a user who has instructed printing of a sheet.

4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the predetermined information contained in the attribute information is a time at which a sheet has been printed.

5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the predetermined information contained in the attribute information is a size of a sheet.

6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the predetermined information contained in the attribute information is information relating to a function which has printed a sheet.

7. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a receiving unit configured to receive user information of a user, who has instructed printing of a sheet stored in the storage portion,
wherein the predetermined information contained in the attribute information is user information of a user, who has instructed printing of a sheet, and the memory unit stores user information of a user, who has instructed printing of a sheet stored in the storage portion, and
wherein, in a case that the user information acquired by the receiving unit corresponds to the user information stored in the memory unit, the sheet moving unit moves sheets of the corresponding user from the plurality of storage portions, and stops the sheets in the exposure state, wherein the front parts of the sheets are exposed outside the main body through the same opening.

8. The image forming apparatus according to claim 7 , further comprising:
a display unit configured to display information relating to image formation and receive an input of an operation by a user,
wherein the user information or group information is acquired by the receiving unit when the user inputs the user information or the group information to the display unit.

9. The image forming apparatus according to claim 7 , further comprising:
an ID card reader configured to read an ID card,
wherein the user information or group information is acquired by the receiving unit when a user causes the ID card reader to read the ID card.

10. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the sheet moving unit includes:
a first sheet moving portion configured to move the first sheet stored in the first storage portion, and stop the first sheet in the exposure state; and
a second sheet moving portion configured to move the second sheet stored in the second storage portion, and stop the second sheet in the exposure state,
wherein the first sheet moving portion and the second sheet moving portion simultaneously start to move, and wherein the front part of the first sheet and the front part of the second sheet are exposed outside the main body through the same opening.

11. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the sheet moving unit includes:
a first sheet moving portion configured to move the first sheet stored in the first storage portion, and stop the first sheet in the exposure state; and
a second sheet moving portion configured to move the second sheet stored in the second storage portion, and stop the second sheet in the exposure state, and
wherein the first sheet moving portion starts to move and the front part of the first sheet is exposed outside the main body through the opening, and then the second sheet moving portion starts to move and the front part of the second sheet is exposed outside the main body through the opening through which the front part of the first sheet is exposed outside the main body.

12. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the first sheet and the second sheet contact each other in a case that the first sheet and the second sheet are in the exposure state.

13. An image forming apparatus comprising:
a main body formed with an opening;
an image forming unit configured to form an image on a sheet;
a plurality of storage portions each configured to store a sheet on which the image has been formed by the image forming unit inside the main body;
a sheet moving unit configured to move the sheet stored in each of the plurality of storage portions, and stop the sheet in an exposure state in which a back part of the sheet including a back edge of the sheet is inside the main body and a front part of the sheet including a front edge of the sheet is exposed outside the main body through the same opening;
a memory unit configured to store information relating to the sheet stored in each of the plurality of the storage portions; and
a control unit configured to execute a switching control for switching a first control in which the sheet moving unit moves the sheet stored in each of the plurality of the storage portions to have the same exposure length and a second control in which the sheet moving unit moves the sheet stored in each of the plurality of the storage portions to have different exposure lengths based on the information stored in the memory unit, the exposure length being a length of the front part of the sheet.

14. The image forming apparatus according to claim 13 ,
wherein the memory unit stores user information of respective users, who have instructed printing of sheets stored in the plurality of the storage portions,
wherein the sheet moving unit moves sheets to have the same exposure length in a case that the user information indicates the same user, who has instructed printing of the sheets to be exposed, and the sheet moving unit moves the sheets to have different exposure lengths in a case that the user information indicates different users.

15. The image forming apparatus according to claim 14 ,
wherein the memory unit stores respective sheet sizes of sheets stored in the plurality of the storage portions, and
wherein, when the user information of the users who have instructed printing of sheets to be exposed indicates different users or job numbers of the sheets

Assignees

• Canon Kk

Inventors

• Takahashi Genki
• Fukatsu Masayoshi
• Tsuji Hiroharu
• Suzuki Yohei
• Kaneko Daisuke
• Sato Kazuhisa
• Sugaya Hajime
• Matsuda Yuu

Classifications

• B65H31/3081

  by acting on edge of the pile for moving it along a surface, e.g. by pushing · CPC title

• B65H31/24 Primary

  multiple or compartmented, e.d. for alternate, programmed, or selective filling · CPC title

• B65H2801/06

  Office-type machines, e.g. photocopiers · CPC title

• B65H2405/35

  Means for moving support · CPC title

• G03G15/6552 Primary

  Means for discharging uncollated sheet copy material, e.g. discharging rollers, exit trays · CPC title