Corrugating baffle for on stack finishing system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9758334-B1
Application number	US-201615239873-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Aug 18, 2016
Priority date	Aug 18, 2016
Publication date	Sep 12, 2017
Grant date	Sep 12, 2017

Abstract

A sheet stacking tray that includes a single pneumatic baffle which uses the pressure differential caused by the flow of air across a cross process curved bottom surface of the pneumatic baffle to hold the lead edge of sheets driven by an input nip into the sheet stacking tray above a stack especially for longer and lighter weight sheets as they are driven by the input nip to a registration wall.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A sheet stacking system with a sheet stacking area for sequentially stacking printed sheets output of a reproduction apparatus being sequentially fed in a process direction to said sheet stacking area, the improvement in high speed sheet stacking and improved sheet control comprising:
a stacking tray for receiving said sheets therein, said stacking tray including a registration wall where said sheets are registered thereagainst and form a stack within said stacking tray;
an input nip for capturing said sheets and maintaining control of said sheets until they reach said registration wall; and
a single pneumatic baffle that extends from an outlet of said input nip at least to said registration wall and includes a smooth bottom surface which is convexed throughout said smooth bottom surface in a cross process direction positioned parallel to and above the stack within said stacking tray, said single pneumatic baffle using a pressure differential caused by flow of air across said convexed smooth bottom surface to hold a lead edge of each incoming sheet above said stack as each incoming sheet is driven by said input nip to said registration wall while simultaneously maintaining each incoming sheet out of contact with said convexed smooth bottom surface of said single pneumatic baffle, and wherein said single pneumatic baffle is a sole source of air flow against each incoming sheet.

2. The sheet stacking system of claim 1 , wherein said single pneumatic baffle directs air along said convexed smooth bottom surface and towards sides of said convexed smooth bottom surface of said single pneumatic baffle.

3. The sheet stacking system of claim 1 , wherein said convexed smooth bottom surface of said single pneumatic baffle includes air nozzles angled with respect to said convexed smooth bottom surface.

4. The sheet stacking system of claim 3 , wherein said air nozzles include oval shaped outlets within said convexed smooth bottom surface.

5. The sheet stacking system of claim 4 , wherein said sheet stacking system is part of a xerographic device.

6. The sheet stacking system of claim 5 , wherein said sheet stacking tray includes a movable platform.

7. The sheet stacking system of claim 6 , wherein said movable platform is indexed periodically in order to maintain a predetermined stack height.

8. A printing machine adapted to print an image on a sheet, comprising:
an imaging apparatus for processing and recording an image onto said sheet;
an image development apparatus for developing the image;
a transfer device for transferring the image onto said sheet;
a fuser for fusing the image onto said sheet; and
an output device for receiving said sheet from said fuser and stacking said sheet against a registration wall thereof, said output device including an input nip for driving said sheet into and through said output device with said input nip being adapted to maintain control of said sheet until said sheet reaches said registration wall, and a pneumatic baffle that extends from an outlet of said input nip at least to said registration wall and having a smooth bottom surface extending substantially an entire width of said output device and including only a single curve in a cross process direction to maintain said sheet above any previously compiled sheets within said output device while simultaneously preventing said sheet from contacting said smooth bottom surface of said curved pneumatic baffle.

9. The printing machine of claim 8 , wherein said pneumatic baffle is configured to apply a layer of high velocity air between a top side of said sheet and said smooth bottom surface of said pneumatic baffle that is curved in said cross process direction.

10. The printing machine of claim 9 , wherein said layer of high velocity air follows said smooth bottom surface of said pneumatic baffle.

11. The printing machine of claim 10 , wherein said pneumatic baffle includes a matrix of oval shaped holes extending substantially said entire width of said output device that direct air flow towards a leading edge and sides of the sheet for improved control of the sheet.

12. The printing machine of claim 11 , wherein said layer of high velocity air in cooperation with said input nip maintains height of said sheet above said previously compiled sheets until said sheet reaches said registration wall.

13. A sheet stacking method for high speed sequentially stacking printed sheets output of a reproduction apparatus with improved sheet control, comprising:
providing a stacking tray for receiving said sheets therein, said stacking tray including a registration wall where the sheets are registered thereagainst and form a stack within said stacking tray;
providing an input nip for capturing said sheets and maintaining control of said sheets until immediately before said sheets reach said registration wall; and
providing a pneumatic baffle that extends from an outlet of said input nip at least to said registration wall and includes a single continually smooth bottom surface extending substantially an entire width of said pneumatic baffle and convexed in a cross process direction and positioned above the stack of sheets within said stacking tray, said pneumatic baffle using a pressure differential caused by flow of air across said convexed smooth bottom surface of said pneumatic baffle to solely hold a lead edge of each incoming sheet above said stack as each incoming sheet is driven by said input nip to said registration wall while simultaneously maintaining each incoming sheet out of contact with said convexed smooth bottom surface of said pneumatic baffle.

14. The sheet stacking method of claim 13 , including providing a controller for controlling timing and velocity of air flow of said pneumatic baffle.

15. The sheet stacking method of claim 14 , including controlling said timing and velocity of air flow of said pneumatic baffle based upon sheet weight.

16. The sheet stacking method of claim 14 , including providing said pneumatic baffle with an air cut-off valve.

17. The sheet stacking method of claim 16 , including moving said air cut-off valve to an OFF position immediately before each incoming sheet impacts said registration wall to allow each incoming sheet to drop onto said stack.

18. The sheet stacking method of claim 16 , including triggering opening and closing of said air cut-off valve based upon sheet length.

19. The sheet stacking method of claim 13 , including adjusting said registration wall based upon sheet length and weight.

20. The sheet stacking method of claim 13 , including maintaining each incoming sheet out of touch with said convexed smooth bottom surface of said pneumatic baffle while simultaneously maintaining each incoming sheet parallel to said sheets within said stack through the feeding of each incoming sheet into said stacking tray until immediately before each incoming sheet impacts said registration wall.

Assignees

• Xerox Corp

Inventors

• Herrmann Douglas K

Classifications

• B65H29/14

  and introducing into a pile · CPC title

• B65H29/247 Primary

  blowing on upperside of the sheet · CPC title

• B65H2301/51214

  parallel to direction of displacement of handled material · CPC title

• G03G15/6552

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

• G03G15/65

  Apparatus which relate to the handling of copy material (handling sheets or webs in general B65H; for photographic purposes in general G03B) · CPC title