GB2178009A - Feeding sheets into bins - Google Patents

Abstract

Sheets are fed from below into one or more upwardly-inclined or vertical sheet receiving bins 1 by nip rolls 3 located at the exit of a pair of guide plates 4 which direct the sheet towards the bin. The trail edge of the sheet is lifted from the exit of the guide plates 4 onto a ledge 1b of the bin by a scoop 17 differentially pivoted at the end of a drive arm 13 and a slave arm 14, the slave arm being limited in its pivotal excursion by pins 22, 23 journalled on the drive arm 13. With this mechanism the scoop 17 is tipped forward when it enters the bin first depositing the sheet and then the rear wall 17c of the scoop urges the trailing portion of the sheet into conformity against the support face 1a of the bin for improved stacking. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Sheet collector This invention relates to a sheet collector, that is to say, apparatus for stacking or sporting sheets, particu larly copy sheets issuing from a xerographic or other copier, the collector comprising one or more upright bins for receiving the sheets to be collected.

Our copending patent applications 8518084 (our ref: R/8401 2) and 8518086 (our ref: R/84006) disclose sheet sorters having a plurality of generally upright sheet-receiving bins adapted to hold sheets in a substantially curved configuration transverse to the direction ofsheetfeed. In both cases guide means are included below the bins for directing the sheet upwards into the bins. This arrangement has space saving advantages by enabling shorter bins and dispensing with sheet inverting means for 1 -N copying and collating, but it does give rise to the problem oftrans ferring the upwardly-directed sheets from the guide means into the overlying bins.One solution is forthe sheet to be imparted with sufficient momentum as it is ejected from the exit ofthe guide means to carry it upwards and fully into the bin unassisted by mechanical means. In 8518086 (R/84006), however, rotating brushes with radially extending bristles are located nearthe exit of the guide means whereby the bristles helpto liftthetrail edgeofthesheetfromtheguide means into a bin above andthereafterto urgethetrail edge ofthe sheet into conformity with the other sheets previously collected in the bin for improved stacking.

According to the present invention there is provided a bottom-fed sheet collector comprising at least one upright bin for receiving the sheets, guide means for directing the sheets intothe bin(s), andascoopfor lifting the trail edge ofthe sheets from the exit ofthe guide means into the bin(s).

A sheet collector in accordance with the invention has the advantage of enabling more positive sheet transfer from the guide means into the bin(s).

Preferably the scoop is pivotally mounted and means may be included for tipping the scoop forward when it is in the bin to deposit the sheet. Furthermore, the scoop may be adapted so that after it has been tipped forward it urgesthetrailing portion ofthe sheet into the bin, thus registering or conforming the sheet against the bin or against sheets previously collected therein.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure lisa schematic sectional view of part of a sheet sorter in accordance with the invention, and Figures2a-2dare diagrammatic representations of the sorter at different stages in its operation.

Figure 1 shows two bins 1 of an upright multi-bin sorter. Each bin comprises a front support surface 1 a having a substantially perpendicular ledge 1 bat its bottom edge. The ledge 1b has an upturned lip lcat its rearedge rem ote fro m th e su ppo rt su rface 1 a.

Adjacent bins are arranged in mutually parallel spaced apart relationship. The sorter may comprise any suitable number of bins, forexamplefifteen.

A pair of driven feed rolls 3 are aligned below one of the bins atthe exit a pair of guide surfaces4 arranged for directing a sheet into the bin above in the direction ofthe arrow substantially parallel to the support surface 1 a. The guide surfaces 4 have reces ses 4a through which the rolls 3 extend.

It is noted here that the copy sheets are usually expelled from the processor of a xerographic or other copier along a horizontal sheet path with copy side up, in which case the guide surfaces 4 may be curved at their lower ends (notshown) to deflect the copy sheet from its horizontal path into the upwardly in- clineddirectionforfeeding into the bin as shown in Figure 1.

When a bin has received a copysheetthe guide surfaces 4 and the nip rolls 3 can be indexed laterally as a fixed assembly by transport means (not shown) so that subsequent copy sheets can be directed to each of the bins in turn. Alternatively, the guide and feed assembly 3,4 can be fixed and the bins indexed.

In accordance with the invention the sorter comprises a scoop device 10 for lifting the trail edge of a copy sheet from the exit ofthe guide and feed assembly 3,4 and inserting it into the bin 1 aligned above.

The scoop device comprises a crank 11 with a connecting rod 12 connected atthe apex of a shallow V-shaped bend 13a in a drive arm 13 above the crank 11. The drive arm 13 also has an L-shaped bend 13b, the upwardly directed ieg 13c of the "L" being pivoted at its end about exis 20. On the other end 1 3d ofthe drive arm 13 there is pivotally mounted a scoop 17 comprising a flat base portion 17a with a front lip 17b andarelativelytallbacksupportwall 17c.Thescoop 17 has a portion 18 extending belowthedrivearm 13.

A straight slave arm 14 is pivotally connected at one end to the extension 18 and at the other end to a friction surface 15. The friction surface 15 stops the slave arm 14from freely rotating. Moreover, the slave arm 14 is restricted in its excursion by two pins (or rollers) 22,23 which are mounted on the drive arm 13 respectively at the V-shaped bend 1 3b and at the end 13d where the scoop 17 is connected.

The operation ofthe scoop mechanism will now be described with reference to Figures 2a-2d. For the sake of clarity the copy sheet is not shown in these Figures.

Whenthecrankll is rotated almost a quarter cycle clockwise the connecting rod 12 moves into the position shown in Figure 2a and the pin (or roller) 22 on the drive arm 13 engages the lower side ofthe slave arm 14. However, as the crank 11 continues to rotate clockwise the movement of the drive arm 13 relative to the slave arm 14firstly causes the scoop to tilt backwards from its rest ornhomea position through the aperture 4a in the guides 4 and into the paper path behind the trail edge ofthe sheet entering the bin. The pin 22 then acts to linkthe slave arm 14to the drive arm 13so that during further clockwise rotation ofthe crank 11 to approximately half cycle (maximum stroke) the scoop 17 is driven upwards lifting the sheet into the inter-bin gap (see Figure 2b). The different pivotal axes of the drive arm 13 and the slave 14 are arranged such that the scoop 17 travels in a sub stantiallystraight line approximately parallel tothe paper path as it enters the space between adjacent bins. This enables a compromise to be achieved between the minimum bin spacing and the maximum scoop clearance.

As the crank 11 continues to rotate past the half cycle (maximum stroke) the pin 22 disengagesfrom the slave arm 14. Becausecfthe frictional pivot mounting 15ofthe slave arm 14continued crank rotation causes the drive arm 13 to tip the scoop forward towards the bin support surface 1 a (see Figure 2c), depositing the trail edge of the copy sheet onto the ledge 1 b ofthe bin 1. Continuing downward movement of the drive arm 13 causes the backwall 17cofthescoop 17to urge the trailing portion ofthe sheetforward registering it againstthe supportface 1 a or against sheets already collected in the bin.The back wall of scoop 17then drags the sheet downward so itis restrained by bin lip 1c. This happens when the pin (or roller) 23 engages the slave arm 14 pulling it downwards in its tipped position.This physical link between the drive arm 13 and the slave arm 14then causes the scoop 17 to be returned to its rest or"home" position as shown in Figure 2d as the crank 11 completes its full cycle. The whole cycle is then repeated for lifting further copy sheets into the bins, the entire scoop mechanism 10 being indexed laterally with the guide and feed assembly 3,4 (if appropriate) for feeding the subsequent sheets into an adjacent bin.

The details of the sheet sorter described above are merely exemplary and it will be evident to a person skilled in the artthatvarious modifications may be made within the scope ofthe present invention. For example, the sheet receiving bins may be more or less inclined to the horizontal orthey may be vertical.

Moreover, if it is desired merely to stack and notto sort the copy sheets there need only be a single bin, and the guide means for directing sheets into the bin can then be fixed relative thereto.

Claims (1)

1. A bottom-fed sheet collector comprising at least one upright bin for receiving the sheets, guide means for directing the sheets into the bin(s), and a scoop for lifting the trail edge of the sheets from the exit ofthe guide means into the bin(s).

2. A bottom-fed sheet collector as claimed in claim 1, wherein the scoop is pivotally mounted, and means are included fortipping the scoop forward when it is in the bin to depositthe sheet from the scoop into the bin.

3. A bottom-fed sheet collector as claimed in claim 2, wherein the scoop is arranged to be moved in such a mannerthat after it has been tipped forward it urges the trailing portion ofthe sheet into the bin.

4. A bottom-fed sheetcollector as claimed in claim 3,wherein means are included for lowering the scoop out ofthe bin while the bin remains tipped forward.

5. A bottom-fed sheet collector as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the scoop is arranged to move in a substantially straight line as it travels upwards from the exit ofthe guide means into the bin(s).

6. A bottom-fed sheet collector as claimed in any ofthe preceding claims, wherein the scoop is pivotally mounted at one end of a cranked drive arm, the other end of which drive arm is pivotally mounted at a first axis, and comprising a slave arm having one end pivoted to the scoop and the other end pivotally mounted at a second axis spaced apart from the first axis, the slave arm being located between two abut menus to limit its pivotal movement.

7. A bottom-fed sheetcollector as claimed in claim 6 wherein the two abutments comprise a respective pin or roller mounted on the drive arm.

8. A bottom-fed sheet collector as claimed in claim 6 or claim 7, wherein the end ofthe slave arm remote from the scoop is frictionally pivoted about the second axis.

9. A bottom-fed sheet collector as claimed in any of claims 6to 8, wherein the drive arm is driven buy a crank and linked thereto by a connecting rod.

16. A bottom-fed sheet collector substantially as herein described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.