EP0870713A1 - Method for sorting documents and a printer using the method - Google Patents

Abstract

The method involves successively ejecting documents from the machine, after printing, into a collector (5). During ejection, the two faces of two documents facing each other are separated. Between these two documents an intermediate sheet is inserted. The printing machine which uses the procedure includes a collector for the ejected documents, a detector for the end of a document, and a feed magazine for the sheets to be printed. The machine also includes a supplementary magazine (7) containing the sheets to be inserted which is arranged to feed the collector under the control of the sheet end sensor (6).

Description

The invention relates to a fax printer, photocopier or other office machines.

Printers are generally provided with an output receptable into which printed documents are ejected after impression.

The invention originates from a sorting problem, at the outlet of fax machine, various fax documents. The plaintiff hears however, do not limit the scope of your request to fax machines, but to otherwise extend it to any printer for office machine.

On fax output, fax documents containing a or several printed sheets, successively received, accumulate on the others in the receptacle by forming a packet of documents that a operator must sort manually, at the risk of committing errors sorting, for example, by inserting a sheet of one document into another document.

To avoid this problem, some fax machines have a receptacle that can move, under the control of an end-of-life detector document, between two reception positions offset from each other either by right to left either back and forth from the direction of ejection documents, so that each document is shifted laterally or longitudinally compared to the previous document.

Such a satisfactory solution seems often ineffective In practice. Indeed, experience shows that the operator instead of retrieve the pre-sorted document pack carefully, tends to lack of attention to consolidate documents together by destroying the pre-sorting the printer.

It is therefore appropriate, to propose a fully satisfactory, to prevent any fatal gesture by the operator aimed at regrouping the documents.

For that, a solution consists in separating all the edges respective counterparts of two successively ejected documents. By the terms "homologous edges" are intended to denote the respective edges of the two documents that would overlap if the two documents spanned one against the other, face to face.

Documents US-4,861,213 and EP-0 026 327 teach from separate the homologous edges of two successive documents by training circular translation of one of the documents in relation to the other so as to partially overlap in two respective angular positions offset from each other. However, the triage devices taught by these documents are complex.

The present invention proposes to achieve the same result, in other words to separate the homologous edges of two documents successive, but in a simpler way.

To this end, the invention relates to a sorting process for documents successively ejected from a printer into a receptacle output after printing, during which all the edges are separated counterparts of two successively ejected documents, characterized by the makes the two faces facing each other separate from each other of the two said documents.

Advantageously, there is inserted between the two said documents a interlayer sheet.

The invention also relates, for the implementation of the method of the invention, a printer for an office machine comprising at output a receptacle for documents ejected after printing, means for end of document detection and at least one feed store printing support sheets, the printer being characterized by the fact that it includes an additional food store containing dividers and arranged to supply the receptacle under the control of end of document detection means.

• la figure 1 représente une vue en perspective d'une machine de bureau comprenant l'imprimante de l'invention, et
• la figure 2 représente un schéma bloc fonctionnel de la machine de la figure 1.

The invention will be better understood using the following description of a particular embodiment of the printer for the implementation of a particular embodiment of the sorting method according to the invention, with reference to the drawing annexed on which:

• FIG. 1 represents a perspective view of an office machine comprising the printer of the invention, and
• FIG. 2 represents a functional block diagram of the machine of FIG. 1.

The office machine shown in Figures 1 and 2 is a fax 11 incorporating a printer. However, the applicant intends do not limit the scope of his request to this particular example but to otherwise extend it to any office machine incorporating a printer.

For the sake of clarity, only the elements of the facsimile machine 11 relating to printing will be described.

• un récepteur 1 de données de télécopies, relié à un réseau 100 de communication, en l'espèce le réseau de télécommunication commuté (RTC),
• une mémoire 2 de stockage de télécopies sous forme de données, connectée au récepteur 1 ;
• un bloc d'impression 3 de documents de télécopie relié à la mémoire de télécopies 2, communiquant en entrée avec un magasin 4 d'alimentation en support d'informations, en l'espèce des feuilles de papier supports, par l'intermédiaire d'un système 8 à galets d'entraínement de feuille, et en sortie avec un réceptacle 5 de documents de télécopie par l'intermédiaire d'un système 9 à galets d'éjection de feuille.

The facsimile machine 11 comprises, in a known manner and with reference to FIG. 2:

• a fax data receiver 1, connected to a communication network 100, in this case the switched telecommunications network (PSTN),
• a memory 2 for storing faxes in the form of data, connected to the receiver 1;
• a printing unit 3 for fax documents linked to the fax memory 2, communicating at the input with a magazine 4 for supplying information media, in this case sheets of support paper, by means of a system 8 with sheet feed rollers, and at the output with a receptacle 5 for facsimile documents via a system 9 with sheet ejection rollers.

In addition, the facsimile machine 11 integrates a central processing unit. control, not shown, in this case a microprocessor, connected to known manner to the various elements of the facsimile machine 11, and intended to check the operation.

The facsimile machine 11 also comprises an additional magazine 7 supply of dividers, in this case blue sheets, colored different from that of the print media sheets in a magazine 4 supply of printing media sheets which are here white. The additional magazine 7 communicates with the document receptacle 5 fax machine, via an ejection system 10. A detector 6 is connected to a fax memory 2 and to the system eject 10.

The receptacle 5 is fixedly mounted on the facsimile machine 11.

The operation of the printer of the fax machine 11, substantially corresponding to the implementation of the sorting process, will now be described.

When a fax is transmitted via the PSTN 100 network and received by the facsimile machine 11, via the receiver 1, it is stored in the memory 2. Under the control of the central unit, a fax document corresponding is printed on one or more white support sheets from the feed magazine 4, then ejected into the receptacle 5.

By definition, a "fax document" is made up of a or several support sheets on which information is printed relating to a fax received by the facsimile machine 11.

After printing and ejection, under the control of the detector 6 at the end of the document, a blue insert sheet is ejected in the receptacle 5 from the additional magazine 7, by the ejection system 10.

When a new fax is sent and received by the fax 11, a new corresponding fax document is printed on white support sheets of food store 4, and ejected into receptacle 5.

In receptacle 5, the two fax documents successively received are arranged one on the other with the interposition of a interlayer sheet separating the two faces facing one another two successive documents. So, we separate all the homologous edges respective of the two successive documents.

It is recalled here that by the terms "respective homologous edges of two documents ", we mean to designate the respective edges of the two documents that would overlap if the two documents spanned one against each other, face to face.

In the description which has just been made, the intermediate sheets are different in color from the print media sheets, might also consider using additional slip sheets larger dimensions than those of print media sheets.

Claims (3)

Method for sorting documents successively ejected from a printer in an output receptacle (5) after printing, during from which we separate all the homologous edges of two documents successively ejected, characterized by the fact that they are separated from one another the two sides facing one another of the two said documents. The sorting method according to claim 1, wherein: insert between the two said documents an insert sheet. Printer for office machine, for implementation of the method according to one of claims 1 and 2, comprising at output a receptacle (5) for documents ejected after printing, means (6) for end of document detection and at least one magazine (4) for supplying print media sheets, the printer being characterized by the fact that it includes an additional food store (7) containing spacers and arranged to supply the receptacle (5) under the control of the end of document detection means (6).

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