JPS6251560A - Sheet sorter - Google Patents

Abstract

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

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention This invention relates to a sheet sorter, which is a device for inserting a series of equivalent copy sheets from a xerographic copier into individual receptacles. . The number of bins is always greater than or equal to the number of copies, and the sorting operation is repeated as many times as necessary to complete each set of copies and each bin to hold a complete set.

(Prior Art and Problems) In order to reduce the size of the sorter, it is desirable that the area of each storage section be smaller than the surface 'ia of the sheets to be stored therein. One way to do this is to place each receptacle at an acute angle to the vertical so that the "excess" area of the sheet projects beyond each receptacle. This poses the problem of how to reliably prevent the protruding region of the sheet from collapsing and interfering with the sheet fed into the adjacent storage section.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, the present invention automatically curves each sheet being fed into a shape that provides sufficient support strength for the protruding portions of each sheet to be self-supporting. The aim is to bring about

The invention therefore provides a sheet sorter as defined in the claims.

The invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: FIG.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The sorter of the invention comprises a series of individual trays 2 arranged horizontally, each tray 2 having a main support surface 4 inclined at an acute angle with the vertical direction.

Each tray 2 also has a horizontal flange-like lip 6 on its bottom edge. As shown more clearly in FIG. 3, the tray 2 is formed with two asymmetrical wings 8, 1O. As shown in FIG. 3, the flange-like lip 6 may also be provided with a series of "bores" 12, but this is not essential. The lip flange 14 and articulation 16 may be continuous.

The fold lines 18 of the wings 8.10 are located at such an angle to the horizontal that the outer edge of each wing is vertical when the main support surface 4 of the tray is at its operating angle with respect to the vertical direction. There is.

As clearly shown in Figure 1.2, the horizontal spacing between adjacent parallel trays 2 is such that the wings 8.10 meet the sloped walls of the opposing storage areas in order to limit the intermediate sheet receiving storage area 20. Selected to ensure duplicates. This purpose will be discussed later.

The sorter of the present invention is applied to a bottom feeding type, in which a pair of feed rolls 22 are sequentially aligned with each storage section 20, and a sheet 24 being fed into the storage section 20 is indicated by an arrow 26. Eject along the direction. Copies from a Xerofink or other copier are typically fed along a horizontal exit path (not shown) with a pair of feed rolls 28 located at one end of the path. These rolls grip each fed sheet and force it to pass through a pair of curved guide surfaces 30, and these guide surfaces 30 move from a horizontal path leading to the feed roll 28 to a path extending parallel to the main axis of the storage section 20. and deflect the sheet 24.

After the sheets have been fed into each receptacle, by means not shown, the sheet feeder shown in FIG. 1 is indexed along the next receptacle or the aligned series of trays is relatively indexed movement along the appropriate direction to give the same effect.

This process is repeated as many times as there are sheets to be sorted or a receptacle for receiving sheets.

In the drawings at the meeting, each previously referenced part is given its first reference number.

FIG. 2 shows the mode of operation of the present invention, in which some parts are omitted for clarity. When the leading edge of the sheet is sufficiently separated from the feed roll 22, the leading edge begins to lean toward the tray 2 due to the weight of the paper. One or both of the sides or corners of the leading edge contact one or both of the wings 8.10. If the sheet being fed is formed of a sufficiently stiff material, the sheet will tend to assume a more curved shape across the width of the paper transverse to the feed direction 26 until the leading edge contacts the back of the facing tray. do not.

When it comes into contact with the back surface, the center of the leading edge is pushed down by the tray facing each sheet, while the side edges are pushed up by contact with the respective wings 8.10, so the sheet curves and the degree of curvature changes from the trailing edge. The larger the distance, the larger the distance.

The speed at which each sheet is fed into the storage section 20 is such that gravity stops the upward movement of the sheet and the trailing edge of the sheet is completely moved into the storage section before the trailing edge descends to rest on the lip 6. 20, so that the trailing edge of each sheet remains straight, while the leading edge is
It becomes a uniform curved shape. This change in the shape of the sheet according to the distance from the rear edge provides the sheet with sufficient support strength so that the portion 34 of each sheet that protrudes beyond the upper end of the tray 2 can stand on its own. In fact, it has been found that a tray of approximately 150 fins in height can support a sheet 425 fins in height. This means that the relatively low height of each compartment reduces the overall size of the sorter while ensuring that a wide range of sheet sizes can be sorted, for example B5 to B4 in long edge first orientation and 425 Tsuru and A3 in short edge first orientation. becomes smaller.

(Effects of the Invention) From the above, it will be understood that the larger the sea I- fed into the storage part by the relatively simple shape of the tray, the greater the degree of curvature produced and the higher the supporting strength accordingly. Furthermore, for large sheets fed short edge first, the degree of curvature increases as the distance from the trailing edge increases;
The trailing edge itself is directly supported to determine its position, and the fact that the center of gravity of the sheet is above the top surface of the storage section ensures that the uniquely curved sheet does not fall out of the storage section due to gravity.

From the foregoing, the present invention provides a system in which a series of trays of the same simple shape are fed into a storage section, a sheet is curved, and the sheet is stored so that the portion of the fed sheet that protrudes beyond the top of the storage section can stand on its own. It will be apparent that there is a need to provide a bottom-feed sheet sorter with a section formed therein.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of two adjacent receptacles in a sorter of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1 with copy sheets of different sizes projecting beyond the top of the receptacles; Figure 3 is a front view of the tray serving as one side of the receptacle; Figure 4 is a plan view of the tray shown in Figure 3 in position within the sorter; FIG. 5 is a side view of the tray shown in FIG. 3.4. 2... Tray, 4... Sheet contact surface, 6... Bottom lip, 8.10... Wing part, 18...
...Cross line, 20...Accommodation section, 24...
Sheet, 26... feed direction.

Claims (1)

Claims: 1. A plurality of horizontally aligned trays, each tray having a bottom lip, a flat sheet contacting surface adjacent to the bottom lip and sloped at an acute angle to the vertical, and the sheet; wings bent upward from the plane of the contact surface, the lines of intersection of said wings and the sheet contact surface converging with increasing distance from the bottom lip, so that two adjacent parallel trays are A sheet receiving and accommodating section is defined between the edges, and the accommodating section has a substantially uniform thickness, and its cross section changes from a straight line at the bottom lip to a bent section at the top, and A bottom-fed upright sheet sorter in which the parallel sheet side edges form an acute angle to the sheet contact surface. 2. The sheet sorter according to claim 1, wherein the wing portions have different areas.