Printing device with mixed sheet stacking control

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9821583-B2
Application number	US-201514821439-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 7, 2015
Priority date	Aug 25, 2014
Publication date	Nov 21, 2017
Grant date	Nov 21, 2017

Abstract

A technique by which when printing is initiated, printed sheets remaining in a large-volume stacker and sheets printed in a subsequent job are not mixed in the large-volume stacker is provided. A printing system in which a printing apparatus and a post-processing apparatus for receiving a sheet printed by the printing apparatus and performing post-processing are connected, upon activation of the printing system, when detecting that a sheet is stacked in the post-processing apparatus, instructs the processing apparatus to discharge the remaining sheet.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A printing apparatus comprising:
a printer configured to print an image on a sheet based on a print job;
a stacker capable of stacking the sheet having been conveyed from the printer;
a detection unit configured to detect an existence or an absence of the sheet in the stacker; and
a controller configured to, when the printing apparatus is powered on, control the stacker to execute an eject process for ejecting the sheet in the stacker based on the existence of the sheet in the stacker being detected by the detection unit, wherein the eject process is executed without an execution request for a print job.

2. The printing apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a setting unit configured to set a permission or a prohibition of a size mixed stacking of sheets in the stacker,
wherein the controller controls, in a case where the setting unit sets the prohibition of the size mixed stacking of sheets in the stacker, so that the sheet stacked in the stacker is moved to a predetermined position where a user can receive the sheet in accordance with the detection unit detecting that the sheet is stacked in the stacker.

3. The printing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the stacker comprises:
a lift table that receives sheets that are conveyed from the printer and stacks the received sheets; and
an eject table that receives a bundle of sheets stacked on the lift table and stacks the received bundle of sheets.

4. The printing apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the controller moves the eject table so that the stacked bundle of sheets is moved to a predetermined position.

5. The printing apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein
the lift table moves vertically, and
the eject table moves horizontally.

6. The printing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the eject process includes a process for moving a table on which the sheet is stacked to a position where a user can receive the sheet.

7. A method of controlling a printing apparatus having a stacker capable of stacking sheets, the method comprising:
conveying the sheet from the printer to a stacker;
stacking the sheet on the stacker;
detecting an existence or an absence of the sheet is stacked in the stacker; and
when the printing apparatus is powered on, controlling the stacker to execute an eject process for ejecting the sheet in the stacker based on the existence of the detected sheet in the stacker, wherein the eject process is executed without an execution request for a print job.

8. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program for causing a computer to execute a method of controlling a printing apparatus having a stacker capable of stacking sheets, the method comprising:
conveying the sheet from the printer to a stacker;
stacking the sheet on the stacker;
detecting an existence or an absence of the sheet in the stacker; and
when the printing apparatus is powered on, controlling the stacker to execute an eject process for ejecting the sheet in the stacker based on the existence of the detected sheet in the stacker, wherein the eject process is executed without an execution request for a print job.

Assignees

• Canon Kk

Inventors

• Mutsuno Masahiro

Classifications

• B65H43/06 Primary

  detecting, or responding to, completion of pile (B65H43/08 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B65H2405/3311

  for storing articles horizontally or slightly inclined · CPC title

• B65H31/24

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

• B65H2511/51

  Presence · CPC title

• B65H2405/32

  Supports for sheets partially insertable - extractable, e.g. upon sliding movement, drawer · CPC title