JPH034541Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION a. Technical Field The present invention relates to finishing trays for receiving finished booklets consisting of sheets joined together by one or more staples.

b. Background of the prior art The provision of a finishing device for booklets consisting of a plurality of sheets stapled together along the side edges is known from US Pat. No. 4,134,672. The booklets are stacked on the flat, substantially horizontal surface of the tray either directly on top of each other or in a staggered relationship. The booklet is received from a booklet transfer mechanism having a transfer arm that picks up the finished booklet, swings it into position on the surface of the tray, and then releases the booklet.

c. Problems with the Prior Art When a booklet is finished by stapling along the side edges of the sheets or at their corners, the part of the booklet containing the staples is usually slightly thicker than the other parts. Thus, when a plurality of booklets are stacked one on top of the other on a finishing tray with the stapled portions aligned or substantially aligned, the stapled portions of the stack will overlap other portions of the stack, e.g. on the opposite side of the staples. It tends to be much thicker than the edges. This can cause problems in booklet finishing equipment. Therefore, for a substantial stack of finished booklets, a greater height measured at the stapled part of the booklet compared to the rest of the stack also results in a conflict with the introduction of additional booklets into the tray. obtain. For example, placing a stack of approximately 50 to 100 booklets in a flat tray of the type shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,134,672 may become a conflict with placing more booklets in the tray. The tray of the present invention allows for the acceptance of more completed booklets without conflicting with the loading of additional booklets into the tray.

As described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,134,672, the finisher tray can be adjusted downwardly by a lift mechanism as booklets accumulate on the tray. Such adjustments tend to keep the top of the booklet stack below a level where the feeding of additional booklets interferes with the stack. However, the trays of such finishing machines accept not only stapled booklets, but also non-stapled booklets, and the elevation adjustment is not directly related to the measured stack thickness of the booklets in the staple area. Adjustment of the tray by the lifting mechanism is therefore insufficient to keep the stack of stapled booklets from interfering with the feeding of the stack of new booklets.

d. Purpose of the invention The purpose of the invention is to provide a finishing device tray for stacking stapled booklets, in which the stapled portion of the booklet is raised above the other portions of the booklet. First, the stapled portion does not interfere with the feeding of additional booklets into the stack. This object is achieved by a tray having the above-mentioned characteristics and characterized by a beveled section surface positioned to receive the stapled portions of booklets stacked on the tray.

e DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION The finishing equipment tray of the present invention is indicated generally at 10. Tray 10 consists of a base 12 which may be provided with a handle 14 to facilitate movement of the tray by an operator. The base 12 is supported in a substantially horizontal plane, for example by a set of tray slides (not shown) which allow the tray to move in a horizontal plane. The base 12 is generally rectangular in shape and the raised generally rectangular portion 16 of the tray is centrally located and covers most of the base. Raised portion 16
The top surface 18 includes a surface for receiving a stapled booklet as shown in FIG. 2 and will be described in detail below. Surface 18 includes a generally planar surface portion 20 that is raised and parallel to base 12 .
The portion 20 is therefore also in a substantially horizontal plane. Side 1
8 also includes two sloped surface portions 22, 24;
These surface portions are located at adjacent corners of surface 18 but are separated from each other by portions of raised surface portions 20. The sloped portions 22, 24 are thus spaced apart from each other along one side 26 of the raised portion 16 of the tray. The sloped portion is also spaced from the opposite side 28 of the raised portion 16.

The sloped portions are essentially identical or mirror symmetrical to each other. The sloped portion slopes downwardly and forms an obtuse angle with surface 18. Although the forming angle may vary, this angle is shown in the drawings as approximately 190-200°. The sloped portion 22 extends less than half way along the side 26 and adjacent end 27 of the raised portion. Similarly, the inclined portion 24
extends less than half way along the side 26 and adjacent end 29 of the raised portion.

Tray 10 may be used in a copy finishing device for an electronic reproduction machine as generally described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,134,672. A portion of said US patent is shown in FIG. More particularly, such finishing equipment may include an assembly tray 30 for receiving a plurality of sheets 32 to be formed into a booklet 34. The booklet shown in FIG. 2 is made up of two sheets, but of course any number of sheets can be used. The sheets are assembled on a tray 30, shaken, and then stapled to form a booklet 34 as described in the aforementioned US patent. For example, booklet 3
Two staples 36 are shown at 4, the staples 36 being located near one end of each booklet. In some cases, a booklet is formed using only one staple 36 near one corner of the booklet.

After the booklet has been formed on the tray 30, the booklet is transferred to a transfer arm 38 having a jaw 39 fixed to its lower end.
is removed from the tray. Arm 38 also carries a movable jaw 40 which moves arm 38
It is moved up and down toward the identified station by a pneumatic cylinder 42 attached to the unit. When the booklet 34 in the tray 30 is fully assembled, the arm moves to the right from its illustrated position so that the fixed and movable jaws sandwich the booklet in the tray 30. Next, the cylinder 42 moves the movable jaw 40 to the fixed jaw 39.
, thereby clamping the booklet between the jaws. Arm 38 then swings from its initial position adjacent tray 30 in the direction indicated by arrow 43 to the position shown in FIG. 2 in which the booklet is shown above tray 10. At this time, the booklet 34 is released from the carriage and falls downward onto the tray 10 as indicated by an arrow 45. For booklets to be released from between the trays 10, the majority of the booklets 34 are placed on the raised surface 18.
is positioned directly above surface portion 20 of surface 18 and such that staple 36 is positioned above sloped portions 22, 24 of surface 18.

The addition of staples 36 during formation of the booklet results in the stapled area of the booklet being slightly thicker than the rest of the booklet. As a result, a stack of booklets 34 placed one after the other directly on top as shown in FIG. 2 with staples 36 will be slightly thicker than the opposite edges of the booklets as measured near the staples 36. When a stack of booklets 34 is accumulated on the tray 10, the staples are attached to the sloping areas 22, 22 of the tray.
24 so that the staples 36 of the first few booklets are located below the surface 20 of the tray. More booklets in tray 10
, the staple ends up on the flat surface 20
It will be located above the part of the booklet that is directly stationary.

The tray described above can be varied in several respects. For example, part 16 is not necessarily base 12.
There is no need to raise it upwards. Slanted portions 22, 24
may still have the same relationship to surface 18. Therefore, in this specification (including utility model claims), the term "raised portion" does not necessarily mean only a portion raised from the base 12, but refers to a portion that is located higher than the sloped portion. shall be. Also, portions 22 and 24 do not necessarily have to be flat as shown. The configuration of the tray can also be varied for booklets having three or more staples along one side or one staple in the middle of one side. In such a case, surface portions similar to those shown at 22 and 24 may be positioned below the staple area of the booklet. 1 on the base 12 to further align the stacked booklets.
The tray may also include one or more side guides or side walls.

f Effect If there are no inclined parts 22, 24 of the tray,
The height of the stack of stapled booklets 34 is such that the side edges of the stack of booklets containing the staples 36 are on the tray 30.
A point will soon be reached where there is a conflict in the manner described above with the transfer of additional booklets 34 from . Because of the sloped portions 22, 24 and because of their position with respect to the stapling area of the booklets 34, more booklets can be placed in the tray 10 until the stack becomes in conflict with the transport of additional booklets. I can do it. For example, approximately 75 stapled booklets could be placed on a flat bottom tray before conflicting interference occurred for a particular size booklet. Using a tray according to the invention with a beveled edge below the stapled area of the booklets according to the invention, stacks of approximately 250-300 booklets can be accommodated without interference.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the tray of the finishing device of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1, but showing a plurality of stapled booklets on a tray and a mechanism for conveying the booklets to the tray. In the drawing, 10...Tray, 18...Side, 2
0... Flat surface of the tray, 22, 24... Slanted surface of the tray, 34... Booklet, 36... Staple.

Claims (1)

[Claims for Utility Model Registration] [1] In a tray for receiving a plurality of booklets, each booklet consisting of a plurality of sheets joined by at least one staple near one side edge thereof, has a raised portion and a sloped portion that slopes downwardly away from the raised portion, and the tray is characterized by a surface on which stapled booklets can be stacked on the tray with the stapled portion above the sloped portion. . (2) In the tray of paragraph 1 above, the sloped portion of the surface is located at one corner, and the tray surface has a second sloped surface that slopes downwardly away from the raised portion, so that two staples cannot be attached to the tray. A tray in which booklets having booklets can be stacked on the tray with one staple above the sloping section and the other staple above the second sloping section.