JPS6216974A - Sheet collector - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] This bulletin contains application data before electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a sheet collector or apparatus for stacking or sorting sheets, particularly copy sheets fed from a xerographic or other copying machine, which collects the sheets to be collected. It is of the type that has one or more vertical bins for receiving it.

Continuing UK Patent Application No. 85 by the same applicant as this application
No. 18084 and No. 85-18086, an upright sheet receptacle has a plurality of bins for holding sheets and holds sheets in a generally curved shape transverse to the sheet feeding direction. A sheet sorter configured as follows is disclosed. In both of the above applications, means are provided below the bin for guiding the sheets upwardly towards the bin. Such a configuration has the advantage of saving space because a relatively short bin can be used and a sheet reversing device for sequentially copying and collating sheets from the first can be omitted. There is the problem of transporting upwardly facing sheets from the guide means towards the bins above it. One such solution is to impart sufficient momentum to the sheet as it is ejected from the guide means to carry it upwards and to feed it well into the bin without the need for mechanical means. That's a thing.

Such means are described, for example, in US Pat. No. 4,141,546.
It is adopted in the sorter disclosed in No.

Although the sorter disclosed in this patent has generally upright bins, the bins are flat rather than straight. However, in British Patent Application No. 85-18086, a rotating brush with radially extending bristles is arranged near the exit of the guide means so that the bristles lift the trailing edge of the sheet away from the guide means. The sheets are stacked by feeding them into the bin above them and then pushing the trailing edge of the sheet into alignment with other sheets already collected in the bin.

According to the invention, there is provided at least one upright bin for receiving sheets, guide means for guiding the sheets into said bin, and means for lifting the trailing edge of the sheets and guiding them through the outlet of said guide means into said bin. A bottom sheet collector is provided comprising a scoop.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the scoop is pivoted when it is located in the bin to retain sheets, and means may be provided for tilting the scoop forward. Furthermore, the scoop may be configured to direct the rear of the seat towards the bin after the scoop is tilted forward. This aligns the sheets previously collected in the bin with respect to the bin or sheets.

Next, the present invention will be explained along with embodiments of the present invention shown in the drawings.

FIG. 1 illustrates two bins 1 of an upright multi-bin sorter. Each bin has a front support surface 1a and a shelf 1b at its bottom edge which is approximately perpendicular to this support surface. The shelf 1b has an upwardly directed lip at its rear edge remote from the support surface 1a. Adjacent bins are parallel to each other and spaced apart. The sorter may consist of any number of bins (eg, 15 bins).

A pair of driving feed rolls 3 are aligned at the inlets of the pair of guide surfaces 4 below any one of the bins, and are adapted to move the sheets toward the bin substantially parallel to the support surface 1a along the direction of the arrow. The guide surface 4 has a recess 4a through which the roll 3 passes.

-a, the copy sheet is fed along a horizontal sheet path with its copy side up and exits the processor of a xerographic or other copier, in this case with the lower edge of guide surface 4 in a straight line; (not shown), the copy sheet is bent upwardly from its horizontal path and fed into a bin such as that shown in FIG.

As the bins receive copy sheets, the guide surfaces 4 and nip rolls 3 are laterally adjusted by a transport means (not shown) so that the sheets are fed into each of the bins one after the other. I can do it. Alternatively, the guide/feed device 3.4 may fix 4 and allow the bin to be adjusted.

According to the invention, the sorter has a scoop device 10 which lifts the trailing edge of the copy sheet from the outlet of the guide/bag feeder device 3.4 and places the sheet in an upwardly aligned position. It is designed to be inserted into the bin l that is currently in use. This scoop device has a crank 11 with a connecting rod 12.
This connecting rod is connected at the bottom end of a shallow V-shaped bend 13a of the drive arm 13 above the crank 11. The drive arm 13 has an L-shaped bend 13b, the upward leg 13c of which is connected to the shaft 20 at its end.
It is pivoted to. A scoop 17 is attached to the other end 13d of the drive arm 13, and this scoop has a flat base 17a and a front lip 17. b and a relatively tall rear support wall 17C. A portion 18 of the scoop 17 extends below the drive arm 13. One end of the linear slave arm 14 is pivotally connected to the extension part 18, and the other end is pivotally connected to the friction surface 15. Friction surface 15 stops slave arm 14 from freely rotating. Furthermore, the slave arm 14 has two bins (or rollers) 22, 23
22, 23 are each attached to the drive arm 13 at the end 13d where the V-bend 13b and the scoop 17 are connected.

Next, the operation of the scoop mechanism according to the invention will be explained along Figures 2a to 2d. The copy sheet has been omitted in these drawings for clarity.

When the crank 11 is turned approximately a quarter turn clockwise, the connecting rod assumes the position shown in FIG. match. However, crank 11
As the continues to rotate clockwise, the relative movement of the drive arm 13 with respect to the slave arm 14 will first tilt the scoop backwards from its "original" position and introduce it into the bin through the hole 4a in the guide 4. It will enter the paper path behind the trailing edge of the sheet that is about to be printed. The pin 22 acts to connect the slave arm 14 to the drive arm 13, so that the crank 11 further rotates clockwise to approximately one-half revolution (maximum stroke).
When rotated, the scoop 17 is moved upwards to lift the sheet into the inter-pin gap (see Figure 2b). As a result of the different pivot axes of the drive arm 13 and the slave arm 14, the scoop 17 moves substantially in a straight line approximately parallel to the vapor path when entering the gap between adjacent pins. do. By doing this, the gap between the bins can be minimized and the gap between the scoops can be maximized.

If the crank 11 continues to rotate beyond one-half revolution (maximum stroke), the bin 22 will come off the slave arm 14. The slave arm 14 is frictionally pivoted 15 so that continued rotation of the crank causes the drive arm 13 to tilt the scoop forward toward the bin support surface 1a (see FIG. 2C), thereby tilting the scoop forward toward the bin support surface 1a (see Figure 2C). Place the trailing edge on the shelf 1b of bottle 1. As the drive arm 13 continues to move downward, the rear wall 17c of the scoop 17 brings the rear of the sheet forward into alignment with the support surface 11a or sheets already collected in the bin. After this, scoop 17c
The rear wall of the bin draws the sheet downward so that the sheet is trapped by the lip IC of the bin. This is the bin (
(or roller) 23 engages the slave arm 14 and pulls the slave arm 14 downward into the tilted position. When the drive arm 13 and slave arm 14 are thus physically connected, they are returned to their "original" position as shown in FIG. 2d when the crank 11 has rotated all the way around. A similar cycle is then repeated to lift the sheet and feed it into the bin, this time with the entire scoop mechanism 10 suitably guided/feeded by the guide/feed device 3.4.
and adjust laterally to feed subsequent sheets into adjacent bins.

The foregoing description of a sheet sorter is merely a definition, and various modifications will occur to those skilled in the art.

For example, the bin receiving the sheets may be tilted more or less than shown, or it may be vertical.

Additionally, only a single bin is needed when copy sheets are simply stacked and no sorting is desired.
At this time, the guide means for feeding the sheets into the bin may be fixed to the bin.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing a portion of a sheet sorter according to the present invention. Figures 2a to 2d illustrate various stages of operation of a sorter according to the invention. ■...Bin, 1a...Support, 1b...Shelf, 3.
4... Guide/feeding device, 13... Drive arm, 1
4...Slave arm, 17...Scoop.

Claims (9)

[Claims] (1) comprising at least one upright bin for receiving sheets, guide means for guiding the sheets into said bin, and a scoop for lifting and guiding the trailing edge of the sheets through an outlet of said guide means and into said bin; A collection machine that feeds sheets from the bottom. (2) that the scoop is pivotally mounted and that the scoop is in the bin and that means are provided for tilting the scoop forward when loading sheets from the scoop into the bin; Characteristic Claim No. (1)
The sheet collecting machine described in section. (3) A sheet collector according to claim (2), characterized in that, after the scoop is tilted forward, the scoop is configured to direct the rear of the sheet towards the bin. Machine. (4) The sheet collecting machine according to claim (3), further comprising means for lowering the scoop to take out the sheet from the bin while keeping the bin tilted forward. (5) A sheet collecting machine according to any one of the claims, characterized in that the scoop is arranged to move in a straight line when it moves from the outlet of the guide means towards the bin. (6) a scoop is attached to one end of a drive arm provided with a crank, the other end of the drive arm being pivoted about a first axis, and the one end pivoted to the scoop and the first a slave arm having an opposite end pivoted about a second axis remote from the axis, the slave arm being located between the two supports such that its pivoting movement is restricted; A sheet collecting machine according to any one of the claims. (7) The sheet collecting machine according to claim (6), wherein the two supports are attached to the drive arm and comprise bins or rollers. (8) The seat according to claim (6) or (7), wherein the end of the slave arm remote from the scoop is frictionally pivoted about the second axis. collection machine. (9) The sheet collecting machine according to any one of claims (6) to (8), wherein the drive arm is driven by a crank and is connected to the crank by a connecting rod. .