Patent EP0568796A2 successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
EP0568796A2
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EP
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A sorter
Assignee: Kyocera Mita Industrial Co Ltd
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Filing: 1993-03-11
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2013-03-11
Abstract
Abstract A sorter for sorting sheets out is provided with a bin unit (15) including a plurality of bins (16) having specified length and width and a bin shifting (23,24) mechanism for shifting the bin unit (15) upward and downward. The respective bins (16) are vertically spaced apart and adapted for placing the sorted sheets thereon. The sorter is further provided with a first detector (218) for detecting that the bin unit (15) has been moved down to a home position region defined in a lower portion of the sorter, and a shift controller for controlling the bin shifting mechanism (23,24). The shift controller shifts the bin unit (15) downward until the first detector (218) conducts the detection when the bin unit is not in the home position region when the power is applied to the sorter. Accordingly, the home position of the bin unit (15) can be detected accurately with a simple structure. Additionally there are disclosed an openable sheet stopper and alignement means and an input and display device for the postprint processing unit.
Inventors
- 👤 Yoshio Sugishima
- 👤 Youichirou Irie
- 👤 Tooru Himegi
- 👤 Hiroyuki Nagai
- 👤 Nobukazu Ootsuka
- 👤 Takatoshi Nishimura
- 👤 Kenichi Honda
- 👤 Shouichirou Tajima
- 👤 Keiichi Asano
- 👤 Hiroyuki Kawaguchi
- 👤 Shigeki Tamura
- 👤 Motohisa Washitani
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-08 15:52
CPC Classifications
G; G03; G03G; G03G15/00; G03G15/65; G03G15/6538; B; B65; B65H; B65H39/00; B65H39/10; B65H39/11; G03G15/6541; B65H2403/00; B65H2403/50; B65H2403/51; B65H2403/511; B65H2408/00; B65H2408/10; B65H2408/11; B65H2408/113; G03G2215/00; G03G2215/00362; G03G2215/00789; G03G2215/00797; G03G2215/00818; G03G2215/00822; G03G2215/00827
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 21
Claim 1
Independent Claim
53 words
A sorter for sorting sheets out, comprising: a bin unit (15) including a plurality of bins (16) having specified length and width, the bins (16) are vertically spaced apart and adapted for placing the sorted sheets thereon; and a shifting means (23, 24, 230-234) for shifting the bin unit (15) upward and downward.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
92 words
A sorter according to claim 1 further comprising: a first detector means (218) for detecting that the bin unit has been moved down to a home position region (HP) defined in a lower portion of the sorter; and a shift control means (161) for controlling the shifting means (23, 24, 230-234), the shift control means (161) shifting the bin unit (15) downward until the first detector means (218) conducts the detection when the bin unit (15) is not in the home position region (HP) when the power is applied to the sorter.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
59 words
A sorter according to claim 2 wherein the shifting means includes: a cylindrical cam (23) provided rotatably upright and having a spiral groove (24) defined on an outer circumferential surface thereof, the respective bins being engaged slidably with the groove (24) of the cylindrical cam (23); and a cylindrical cam drive means (230-234) for rotating the cylindrical cam (23).
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
134 words
A sorter according to claim 3 further comprising a second detector means (222) detecting that a reference direction (B) in a rotating operation of the cylindrical cam (23) is in agreement with a predetermined direction (C), wherein the shift control means (161) controls the cylindrical cam drive means (230-234) to shift the bin unit (15) downward until the detection is conducted by the first and second detector means (218, 222) when the bin unit (15) is not in the home position region (HP) when the power is applied while to shift the bin unit (15) upward until the detection is conducted by the second detector means (222) when the bin unit (15) is in the home position region (HP) the reference direction of the cylindrical cam (23) is at variance with the predetermined direction.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
142 words
A sorter according to claim 1 further comprising: a projected member (217) provided at the bin unit (15); a first detector means (218) for detecting that the bin unit (15) has been moved down to a home position (HP) by detecting the presence of the projected member (217); a second detector means (219) including a detection lever (219a) provided projectingly below the first detector means (218) in such a position as to cross a moving path of the projected member (217) and adapted for detecting that the bin unit (15) has reached a lower limit position when the projected member (217) comes to contact with the detection lever (219a); and a common guide means (225) for guiding the projected member (217) to the first detector means (218) and to the contact position (P) with the detection lever of the second detection means.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
97 words
A sorter according to claim 5 wherein the projected member (217) includes a planar portion, wherein the first detector means (218) includes a slit-like sensing portion (218a) and detects that the bin unit (15) has been moved down to the home position (HP) when the planar portion of the projected member (217) is fitted in the sensing portion (218a), and wherein the guide means (225) guides the projected member (217) to contact positions (P) with the sensing portion (218a) of the first detector means (218) and with the detection lever (219a) of the second detector means (219).
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
29 words
A sorter according to claim 5 wherein the guide means (226) is formed integrally with a mount member (225) for mounting the second detector means (219) on the sorter.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
154 words
A sorter according to claim 1 wherein each bin (16) includes at a rear end portion thereof a stopper (25) for aligning a trailing edge of the sheet, the stopper (25) being rotatable so as to open up the rear end portion of the bin (16) further comprising: a rotating means (26, 27) for rotating the stopper (25); a sheet processing means (30) provided behind the bins (16) with respect to a lengthwise direction thereof and adapted for applying a specified processing to the sheet placed on the bin (16) the sheet processing means (30) applying the processing to a portion of the sheet which is exposed when the stopper (25) is rotated to thereby open up the rear end portion of the bin (16); and a moving means (51-55) for moving the bin (16) forward and backward so as to move the bin (16) close to and away from the sheet processing means.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
76 words
A sorter according to claim 8 further comprising: a pressing means (81) provided above the bin (16) excluding the rear end portion movably upward and downward and adapted for pressing the sheet placed on the bin (16) against the bin (16); and a biasing means (33) for bringing the sheet pressing means (81) into pressing contact with the sheet placed on the bin (16) before the rear end portion of the bin (16) is opened up.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
53 words
A shorter according to claim 9 where in the biasing means (33) brings the pressing means (81) into pressing contact with the sheet placed on the bin (16) before the rear end portion of the bin (16) is opened up and as the bin (16) moves closer to the sheet processing means (30).
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
19 words
A sorter according to claim 9 wherein the pressing means (81) is formed movably integrally with the bin (16).
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
29 words
A sorter according to claim 9 wherein the biasing means (33) generates a pressing force according to the movement of the bin (16) toward the sheet processing means (30).
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
33 words
A sorter according to claim 8 further comprising a drive means (51-57) for driving the rotating means (26, 27) according to the movement of the bin (16) toward the sheet processing means (30).
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
48 words
A sorter according to claim 13 wherein the drive means includes a guide member (57) for guiding the rotation of the stopper (25), the guide member (57) being positioned such that the drive means (51-57) operates while the guide member (57) guiding the rotation of the stopper (25).
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
53 words
A sorter according to claim 13 wherein the drive means includes a guide member (57) for guiding the rotation of the stopper (25), the guide member (57) being formed such that a rotated amount of the stopper (25) corresponds to a moved amount of the bin (16) toward the sheet processing means (30).
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
77 words
A sorter according to claim 8 further comprising: a pressing means (81) for pressing the bin (16) excluding the rear end portion at a specified position to fix the sheet placed on the bin (16); and a warp preventing member (19) which comes to contact with the position of the bin (16) excluding the rear end portion when the bin (16) moved toward the sheet processing means (30) so as to prevent the bin (16) from warping.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
68 words
A sorter according to claim 16 wherein the warp preventing member (19) includes a recessed portion formed at a widthwise center of the stopper (25) and extending in a forward direction, the recessed portion being formed so as to come to contact with the underside of the bin (16) when the rear end portion of the bin (16) is opened up by the rotation of the stopper (25).
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
52 words
A sorter according to claim 16 wherein the warp preventing member (19) is fixed to the sorter in such a position that a leading end thereof comes to contact with the underside of the bin (16) excluding the rear end portion when the bin (16) moves toward the sheet processing means (30).
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
115 words
A sorter according to claim 1 further comprising: a sheet processing means (30) capable of applying at least two types of sheet processing to the sheets placed on the bins (16); a mount means for mounting the sorter to an image forming apparatus (1), the image forming apparatus (1) including a selecting means (140b) for selecting the type of sheet processing the sheet processing means (30) applies to the sheets, the respective bins (16) being arranged such that sheets discharged from the image forming apparatus (1) are placed thereon; and a control means (161) causing the sheet processing selected by the selecting means (140b) to be executed automatically when an imaging operation is carried out.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
49 words
A sorter according to claim 19 further comprising a designating means for designating the execution of the sheet processing selected by the selecting means (140b) of the image forming apparatus (1), wherein the control means (161) starts the sheet processing in accordance with the designation from the designating means.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
31 words
A sorter according to claim 20 further comprising a display means (140a) for displaying the type of sheet processing selected by the selecting means (140b) of the image forming apparatus (1).
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
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