Discharged sheet stacking apparatus having a plurality of trays with spacing members therebetween

Claim 2

A discharged sheet stacking apparatus for sorting and stacking discharged sheets, comprising: a plurality of trays, each of said trays having a trunnion and being aligned in an alignment direction to stack thereon the discharged sheets; rotation means, said rotation means having a spiral cam to be engaged with said trunnions and rotating to move each of said trays in the alignment direction through said trunnions; and a dummy trunnion, said dummy trunnion being interposed between at least two of said trunnions to widen the space between at least two of said trays more than spaces between other trays and engaging with said spiral cam of said rotation means to move in the alignment direction in the same manner as said trunnions.

Claim 3

A discharged sheet stacking apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each of said trunnions has a trunnion portion engaging with the spiral cam and a support portion for keeping the space between at least two of said trays in contact with other support portions of other trunnions, and said dummy trunnion has a trunnion portion engaging with said spiral cam and a support portion in contact with said support portion of said trunnions.

Claim 4

A discharged sheet stacking apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said plurality of trays is three trays.

Claim 5

A discharged sheet stacking apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said plurality of trays is at least four trays.

Claim 6

A discharged sheet stacking apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a number of said dummy trunnions for each of the spaces between the trays is differentiated from one another, so that the spaces between the trays are differentiated from one another.

Claim 7

An image forming apparatus, comprising: image forming means for forming an image on a sheet in accordance with one of a copy mode, a facsimile mode and a print mode, and for discharging the sheet on which the image has been formed; a plurality of trays having a space between each adjacent pair of trays and aligned in an alignment direction to stack thereon the discharged sheets; a spacer member interposed between at least two of said plurality of trays to widen the space between said two trays; and drive means for moving said trays in the alignment direction, wherein said drive means moves said spacer member in the alignment direction to widen the space between said trays, wherein the sheets are discharged into said trays in accordance with the mode in which the image is formed.

Claim 8

An image forming apparatus, comprising: image forming means for forming an image on a sheet in accordance with one of a copy mode, a facsimile mode and a print mode, and for discharging the sheet on which the image has been formed; a plurality of trays having a space between each adjacent pair of trays and aligned in an alignment direction to stack thereon the discharged sheets; a spacer member interposed between at least two of said plurality of trays to widen the space between said two trays; and drive means for moving said trays in the alignment direction, wherein said drive means moves said spacer member in the alignment direction to widen the space between said trays, wherein the sheets are discharged into said trays in accordance with the mode in which the image is formed.

Claim 9

An image forming apparatus, comprising: image forming means for forming an image on a sheet in accordance with one of a copy mode, a facsimile mode and a print mode, and for discharging the sheet on which the image has been formed; a plurality of trays having a space between each adjacent pair of trays and aligned in an alignment direction to stack thereon the discharged sheets; a spacer member interposed between at least two of said plurality of trays to widen the space between said two trays; and drive means for moving said trays in the alignment direction, wherein said drive means moves said spacer member in the alignment direction to widen the space between said trays, wherein the sheets are discharged into said trays in accordance with the mode and said trays are ready for a sort mode.

Claim 10

An image forming apparatus, comprising: image forming means for forming an image on a sheet in accordance with one of a copy mode, a facsimile mode and a print mode, and for discharging the sheet on which the image has been formed; a plurality of trays having a space between each adjacent pair of trays and aligned in an alignment direction to stack thereon the discharged sheets; a spacer member interposed between at least two of said plurality of trays to widen the space between said two trays; and drive means for moving said trays in the alignment direction, wherein said drive means moves said spacer member in the alignment direction to widen the space between said trays, wherein the sheets are discharged into said trays in accordance with the mode and said trays are ready for a sort mode.

Claim 11

An image forming apparatus, comprising: image forming means for forming an image on a sheet and discharging the sheet; a discharged sheet stacking unit for sorting and stacking discharged sheets on which images are formed, said discharged sheet stacking unit including: a plurality of trays, each of said trays having a trunnion and being aligned in an alignment direction to stack thereon the discharged sheets; rotation means, said rotation means having a spiral cam engaged with each of said trunnions and rotating to move each of said trays in the alignment direction through said trunnions; and a dummy trunnion, said dummy trunnion being interposed between at least two of the trunnions to widen a space between at least two of said trays more than spaces between other trays and engaging with said spiral cam of said rotation means to move in the alignment direction in the same manner as said trunnions.

Claim 12

An image forming apparatus, comprising: image forming means for forming an image on a sheet and discharging the sheet; a discharged sheet stacking unit for sorting and stacking discharged sheets on which images are formed, said discharged sheet stacking unit including: a plurality of trays, each of said trays having a trunnion and being aligned in an alignment direction to stack thereon the discharged sheets; rotation means, said rotation means having a spiral cam engaged with each of said trunnions and rotating to move each of said trays in the alignment direction through said trunnions; and a dummy trunnion, said dummy trunnion being interposed between at least two of the trunnions to widen a space between at least two of said trays more than spaces between other trays and engaging with said spiral cam of said rotation means to move in the alignment direction in the same manner as said trunnions.

Claim 13

An image forming apparatus according to claim 8, wherein each of said trunnions has a trunnion portion engaging with said spiral cam and a support portion for keeping the space between at least two of said trays in contact with other support portions of other trunnions, and said dummy trunnion has a trunnion portion engaging with said spiral cam and a support portion in contact with said support portion of each of said trunnions.

Claim 14

An image forming apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said image forming means forms images generated in accordance with one of a plurality of input sources, and wherein said plurality of trays receive said discharged sheets in accordance with the input source.

Claim 15

An image forming apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said apparatus includes a sort mode and said plurality of trays include a first group of trays that receive said discharged sheets in accordance with the input source and a second group of trays into which sheets are discharged when said apparatus is operating in the sort mode.

Claim 16

An image forming apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising a copy mode, a facsimile mode, and a print mode, wherein a tray is selected in accordance with each of the modes and discharged sheets are stacked thereon, and a number of said dummy trunnions for each of the spaces between said trays is differentiated from one another, so that capacity of sheet stacking of each of said trays is differentiated from one another.

Claim 17

A discharged sheet stacking apparatus for sorting and stacking discharged sheets, comprising: a plurality of trays, each of said trays having a trunnion and being aligned in an alignment direction to stack thereon the discharged sheets; rotation means, said rotation means having a spiral cam to be engaged with said trunnions and rotating to move each of said trays in the alignment direction through said trunnions; and a spacer trunnion, said spacer trunnion being interposed between at least two of said trunnions to widen the space between at least two of said trays and engaging with said spiral cam of said rotation means to move in the alignment direction in the same manner as said trunnions.

Claim 18

A discharged sheet stacking apparatus for sorting and stacking discharged sheets, comprising: a plurality of trays, each of said trays having a trunnion and being aligned in an alignment direction to stack thereon the discharged sheets; rotation means, said rotation means having a spiral cam to be engaged with said trunnions and rotating to move each of said trays in the alignment direction through said trunnions; and a spacer trunnion, said spacer trunnion being interposed between at least two of said trunnions to widen the space between at least two of said trays and engaging with said spiral cam of said rotation means to move in the alignment direction in the same manner as said trunnions.

Claim 19

A discharged sheet stacking apparatus according to claim 13, wherein each of said trunnions has a trunnion portion engaging with the spiral cam and a support portion for keeping the space between at least two of said trays in contact with other support portions of other trunnions, and said spacer trunnion has a trunnion portion engaging with said spiral cam and a support portion in contact with said support portion of said trunnions.

Claim 20

A discharged sheet stacking apparatus according to claim 14, wherein said plurality of trays comprise at least three trays.

Claim 21

A discharged sheet stacking apparatus according to claim 13, wherein said plurality of trays comprise at least four trays.

Claim 22

A discharged sheet stacking apparatus according to claim 13, wherein a number of said spacer trunnions for each of the spaces between the trays is differentiated from one another, so that the spaces between the trays are differentiated from one another.

Claim 23

An image forming apparatus, comprising: image forming means for forming an image on a sheet in accordance with one of a plurality of modes, and for discharging the sheet on which the image has been formed; a plurality of trays having a space between each adjacent pair of trays and aligned in an alignment direction to stack thereon the discharged sheets; a spacer member interposed between at least two of said plurality of trays to widen the space between said two trays; and drive means for moving said trays in the alignment direction, wherein said drive means moves said spacer member in the alignment direction to widen the space between said trays, and wherein the sheets are discharged into said trays in accordance with the mode in which the image is formed.

Claim 24

An image forming apparatus, comprising: image forming means for forming an image on a sheet in accordance with one of a plurality of modes, and for discharging the sheet on which the image has been formed; a plurality of trays having a space between each adjacent pair of trays and aligned in an alignment direction to stack thereon the discharged sheets; a spacer member interposed between at least two of said plurality of trays to widen the space between said two trays; and drive means for moving said trays in the alignment direction, wherein said drive means moves said spacer member in the alignment direction to widen the space between said trays, and wherein the sheets are discharged into said trays in accordance with the mode in which the image is formed.

Claim 25

An image forming apparatus according to claim 18, wherein said plurality of modes are a copy mode, a facsimile mode, and a print mode.

Claim 26

An image forming apparatus, comprising: image forming means for forming an image on a sheet and discharging the sheet; and a discharged sheet stacking unit for sorting and stacking discharged sheets on which images are formed, said discharged sheet stacking unit including: a plurality of trays, each of said trays having a trunnion and being aligned in an alignment direction to stack thereon the discharged sheets; rotation means, said rotation means having a spiral cam engaged with each of said trunnions and rotating to move each of said trays in the alignment direction through said trunnions; and a spacer trunnion, said spacer trunnion being interposed between at least two of the trunnions to widen a space between at least two of said trays and engaging with said spiral cam of said rotation means to move in the alignment direction in the same manner as said trunnions.

Claim 27

An image forming apparatus, comprising: image forming means for forming an image on a sheet and discharging the sheet; and a discharged sheet stacking unit for sorting and stacking discharged sheets on which images are formed, said discharged sheet stacking unit including: a plurality of trays, each of said trays having a trunnion and being aligned in an alignment direction to stack thereon the discharged sheets; rotation means, said rotation means having a spiral cam engaged with each of said trunnions and rotating to move each of said trays in the alignment direction through said trunnions; and a spacer trunnion, said spacer trunnion being interposed between at least two of the trunnions to widen a space between at least two of said trays and engaging with said spiral cam of said rotation means to move in the alignment direction in the same manner as said trunnions.

Claim 28

An image forming apparatus according to claim 20, wherein each of said trunnions has a trunnion portion engaging with said spiral cam and a support portion for keeping the space between at least two of said trays in contact with other support portions of other trunnions, and said spacer trunnion has a trunnion portion engaging with said spiral cam and a support portion in contact with said support portion of each of said trunnions.

Claim 29

An image forming apparatus according to claim 20, wherein said image forming means forms images generated in accordance with one of a plurality of input sources, and wherein said plurality of trays receive said discharged sheets in accordance with the input source.

Claim 30

An image forming apparatus according to claim 21, wherein said apparatus includes a sort mode and said plurality of trays include a first group of trays that receive said discharged sheets in accordance with the input source and a second groups of trays into which sheets are discharged when said apparatus is operating in the sort mode.

Claim 31

An image forming apparatus according to claim 19, further comprising a copy mode, a facsimile mode, and a print mode, wherein a tray is selected in accordance with each of the modes and discharged sheets are stacked thereon, and a number of said spacer trunnions for each of the spaces between said trays is differentiated from one another, so that capacity of sheet stacking of each of said trays is differentiated from one another.