U.S. patent application number 12/813090 was filed with the patent office on 2010-12-16 for sheet processing apparatus, finishing apparatus and sheet guide method.
This patent application is currently assigned to KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA. Invention is credited to Shoichi DOBASHI, Shogo OZAWA, Yasunobu TERAO.
Application Number | 20100314823 12/813090 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 43305759 |
Filed Date | 2010-12-16 |
United States Patent
Application |
20100314823 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
TERAO; Yasunobu ; et
al. |
December 16, 2010 |
SHEET PROCESSING APPARATUS, FINISHING APPARATUS AND SHEET GUIDE
METHOD
Abstract
A sheet processing apparatus of an embodiment includes a spring
member which supports a support leg provided on an end bottom of a
finishing apparatus at a side of an image forming apparatus and is
extendable in a height direction, a sheet feed port which is formed
in the finishing apparatus to be opposite to a sheet discharge port
of the image forming apparatus and has a width wider than a width
of the sheet discharge port in the height direction, sheet
discharge guides which are arranged to be opposite to each other at
an exit of the sheet discharge port and sandwich a conveyance path
of the sheet in the image forming apparatus, sheet feed guides
which are arranged to be opposite to each other at an inlet of the
sheet feed port and sandwich a conveyance path of the sheet in the
finishing apparatus, electromagnets provided at ends of the sheet
feed guides at a side of the sheet feed port, and magnetic members
which are rotatably provided to ends of the sheet discharge guides
at a side of the sheet discharge port and are attracted by the
electromagnets.
Inventors: |
TERAO; Yasunobu; (Shizuoka,
JP) ; OZAWA; Shogo; (Shizuoka, JP) ; DOBASHI;
Shoichi; (Shizuoka, JP) |
Correspondence
Address: |
PATTERSON & SHERIDAN, L.L.P.
3040 POST OAK BOULEVARD, SUITE 1500
HOUSTON
TX
77056
US
|
Assignee: |
KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA
Tokyo
JP
TOSHIBA TEC KABUSHIKI KAISHA
Tokyo
JP
|
Family ID: |
43305759 |
Appl. No.: |
12/813090 |
Filed: |
June 10, 2010 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
61187192 |
Jun 15, 2009 |
|
|
|
61226625 |
Jul 17, 2009 |
|
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Current U.S.
Class: |
271/3.14 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65H 2402/5154 20130101;
B65H 2404/611 20130101; B65H 29/125 20130101; G03G 15/6573
20130101; B65H 2801/27 20130101; B65H 2402/62 20130101; B65H 5/36
20130101; B65H 29/52 20130101; B65H 2404/54 20130101; B65H 2404/63
20130101; B65H 5/062 20130101; B65H 2401/213 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
271/3.14 |
International
Class: |
B65H 29/00 20060101
B65H029/00; B65H 5/00 20060101 B65H005/00 |
Claims
1. A sheet processing apparatus for guiding a sheet from an image
forming apparatus to a finishing apparatus, comprising: a support
leg provided on an end bottom of the finishing apparatus at a side
of the image forming apparatus; a spring member to support the
support leg and extendable in a height direction; a sheet feed port
which is formed in the finishing apparatus to be opposite to a
sheet discharge port of the image forming apparatus and has a width
wider than a width of the sheet discharge port in the height
direction; sheet discharge guides which are arranged to be opposite
to each other at an exit of the sheet discharge port and sandwich a
conveyance path of the sheet in the image forming apparatus; sheet
feed guides which are arranged to be opposite to each other at an
inlet of the sheet feed port and sandwich a conveyance path of the
sheet in the finishing apparatus; electromagnets provided at ends
of the sheet feed guides at a side of the sheet feed port; magnetic
members which are rotatably provided to ends of the sheet discharge
guides at a side of the sheet discharge port and are attracted by
the electromagnets; and a control section which drives the
electromagnets in a state where the image forming apparatus is
connected to the finishing apparatus, and causes the electromagnets
to attract the magnetic members to provide a taper-shaped
expansion.
2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the support leg is a castor
provided on the bottom of the finishing apparatus, and the castor
is supported by the spring member, and if the image forming
apparatus and the finishing apparatus are connected to each other,
and if height positions of the sheet discharge port and the sheet
feed port are different from each other, the spring member
contracts or extends according to a difference between the height
positions.
3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein a second castor is provided on
the end bottom of the finishing apparatus at an opposite side to
the image forming apparatus, and the second castor is supported by
a second spring member.
4. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising: a projection
provided on one of the image forming apparatus and the finishing
apparatus as a height index at time of connection; and a reception
port provided on the other, into which the projection is
inserted.
5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the electromagnets are excited
if power is turned on in a state where the image forming apparatus
and the finishing apparatus are connected to each other.
6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein if an interval between the
sheet discharge guides is L1, and an interval between the sheet
feed guides is L2, L1<L2 is established.
7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the magnetic members are
supported by link members provided at the ends of the sheet
discharge guides at the side of the sheet discharge port, the link
members and the magnetic members are parallel to the conveyance
path of the sheet if power is not applied to the electromagnets,
and the link members and the magnetic members are bent into a crank
shape if power is applied to the electromagnets.
8. A finishing apparatus for finishing a sheet discharged from an
image forming apparatus, comprising: a support leg which is
provided on an end bottom at a side of the image forming apparatus
and supports a finishing section; a spring member to support the
support leg and extendable in a height direction; a sheet feed port
which is formed to be opposite to a sheet discharge port of the
image forming apparatus and has a width wider than a width of the
sheet discharge port in the height direction; sheet feed guides
which are arranged to be opposite to each other at an inlet of the
sheet feed port and sandwich a conveyance path of the sheet;
electromagnets which are provided at ends of the sheet feed guides
at a side of the sheet feed port and attract magnetic members
rotatably provided at an exit of the sheet discharge port of the
image forming apparatus; and a control section which drives the
electromagnets in a state of connection to the image forming
apparatus, and causes the electromagnets to attract the magnetic
members to provide a taper-shaped expansion.
9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the support leg is a castor
provided on the bottom of the finishing apparatus, the castor is
supported by the spring member, at time of connection to the image
forming apparatus, if height positions of the sheet discharge port
and the sheet feed port are different from each other, the spring
member contracts or extends according to a difference between the
height positions.
10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein a second castor is provided
on the end bottom at an opposite side to the image forming
apparatus, and the second castor is supported by a second spring
member.
11. The apparatus of claim 8, further comprising: a reception port
into which a projection as an index of connection to the image
forming apparatus is inserted.
12. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the electromagnets are
excited if the finishing apparatus is connected to the image
forming apparatus and power is turned on.
13. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein if an interval between sheet
discharge guides is L1, and an interval between the sheet feed
guides is L2, L1<L2 is established.
14. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the magnetic members are
supported by link members provided at ends of sheet discharge
guides at a side of the sheet discharge port, the link members and
the magnetic members are parallel to the conveyance path of the
sheet if power is not applied to the electromagnets, and the link
members and the magnetic members are bent into a crank shape if
power is applied to the electromagnets.
15. A sheet guide method for guiding a sheet from an image forming
apparatus to a finishing apparatus, comprising: supporting a
support leg provided on an end bottom of the finishing apparatus at
a side of the image forming apparatus by a spring member extendable
in a height direction; forming a sheet feed port in the finishing
apparatus, which is opposite to a sheet discharge port of the image
forming apparatus and has a width wider than a width of the sheet
discharge port in the height direction; arranging sheet discharge
guides which are opposite to each other at an exit of the sheet
discharge port and sandwich a conveyance path of the sheet in the
image forming apparatus; arranging sheet feed guides which are
opposite to each other at an inlet of the sheet feed port and
sandwich a conveyance path of the sheet in the finishing apparatus;
providing electromagnets at ends of the sheet feed guides at a side
of the sheet feed port, rotatably providing magnetic members to
ends of the sheet discharge guides at a side of the sheet discharge
port, and attracting the magnetic members by the electromagnets to
provide a taper-shaped expansion.
16. The method of claim 15, wherein the support leg is a castor
provided on the bottom of the finishing apparatus, and the castor
is supported by the spring member, and if the image forming
apparatus and the finishing apparatus are connected to each other,
and if height positions of the sheet discharge port and the sheet
feed port are different from each other, the spring member
contracts or extends according to a difference between the height
positions.
17. The method of claim 15, wherein a projection is provided on one
of the image forming apparatus and the finishing apparatus as a
height index at time of connection, and the projection is inserted
into a reception port provided on the other.
18. The method of claim 15, wherein the electromagnets are excited
if power is turned on in a state where the image forming apparatus
and the finishing apparatus are connected to each other.
19. The method of claim 15, wherein if an interval between the
sheet discharge guides is L1, and an interval between the sheet
feed guides is L2, L1<L2 is established.
20. The method of claim 15, wherein the magnetic members are
supported by link members provided at the ends of the sheet
discharge guides at the side of the sheet discharge port, the link
members and the magnetic members are parallel to the conveyance
path of the sheet if power is not applied to the electromagnets,
and the link members and the magnetic members are bent into a crank
shape if power is applied to the electromagnets.
21. A sheet processing apparatus for guiding a sheet from an image
forming apparatus to a finishing apparatus, comprising: a sheet
feed port which is formed in the finishing apparatus to be opposite
to a sheet discharge port of the image forming apparatus and has a
width wider than a width of the sheet discharge port in a height
direction; sheet discharge guides which are arranged to be opposite
to each other at an exit of the sheet discharge port and sandwich a
conveyance path of the sheet in the image forming apparatus; sheet
feed guides which are arranged to be opposite to each other at an
inlet of the sheet feed port and sandwich a conveyance path of the
sheet in the finishing apparatus; a castor provided on an end
bottom of the finishing apparatus at a side of the image forming
apparatus; and a spring member to support the castor and extendable
in the height direction, if the image forming apparatus and the
finishing apparatus are connected to each other, and if height
positions of the sheet discharge port and the sheet feed port are
different from each other, the spring member contracts or extends
according to a difference between the height positions.
22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein a second castor is provided
on the end bottom of the finishing apparatus at an opposite side to
the image forming apparatus, and the second castor is supported by
a second spring member.
23. The apparatus of claim 21, further comprising: a projection
provided on one of the image forming apparatus and the finishing
apparatus as a height index at time of connection; and a reception
port provided on the other, into which the projection is inserted.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application is based upon and claims the priority of
U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/187,192, filed on Jun. 15,
2009, U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/226,625, filed on Jul.
17, 2009, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by
reference.
FIELD
[0002] An embodiment described below relates to a sheet processing
apparatus for guiding a sheet from an image forming apparatus to a
finishing apparatus, and the finishing apparatus for finishing the
sheet discharged from the image forming apparatus. Besides, an
embodiment relates to a sheet guide method for guiding a sheet from
the image forming apparatus to the finishing apparatus.
BACKGROUND
[0003] In recent years, an image forming apparatus (for example, an
MFP) is provided with a finishing apparatus adjacent to the latter
stage of the MFP in order to finish a sheet after image formation.
The finishing apparatus is called a finisher, and the finisher
staples the sheet sent from the MFP or forms a punch hole in the
sheet and discharges it through a discharge port to a storage
tray.
[0004] When the finishing apparatus is attached to the latter stage
of the image forming apparatus, designed so that the height of a
sheet discharge port of the image forming apparatus is equal to the
height of a sheet feed port of the finishing apparatus. However,
when a floor surface on which the image forming apparatus and the
finishing apparatus are placed is not flat, takes time to adjust
the heights of the sheet discharge port and the sheet feed port.
When the heights of the sheet discharge port and the sheet feed
port are different from each other, the delivery of the sheet from
the image forming apparatus to the finishing apparatus becomes
incomplete, and a jam may occur.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
[0005] FIG. 1 is an overall structural view of a sheet processing
apparatus of an embodiment.
[0006] FIG. 2 is a structural view showing an image forming
apparatus (MFP) and a finishing apparatus (finisher)
separately.
[0007] FIG. 3 is an explanatory view showing a state where the
heights of floor surfaces on which the MFP and the finisher are
placed are different from each other.
[0008] FIG. 4 is another explanatory view showing a state where the
heights of the floor surfaces on which the MFP and the finisher are
placed are different from each other.
[0009] FIG. 5 is a structural view showing the MFP and the finisher
provided with a guide mechanism.
[0010] FIG. 6 is an enlarged structural view showing the guide
mechanism.
[0011] FIG. 7 is an explanatory view showing the movement of the
guide mechanism at the time of power-on.
[0012] FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing the principal part of
the guide mechanism.
[0013] FIG. 9 is an explanatory view showing the operation of the
guide mechanism in a state where the floor surface on which the MFP
is placed is lower than the floor surface on which the finisher is
placed.
[0014] FIG. 10 is an explanatory view showing the operation of the
guide mechanism in a state where the floor surface on which the MFP
is placed is higher than the floor surface on which the finisher is
placed.
[0015] FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing a control system of the
MFP and the finisher.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0016] A sheet processing apparatus of an embodiment described
below is for guiding a sheet from an image forming apparatus to a
finishing apparatus, and includes a support leg provided on an end
bottom of the finishing apparatus at a side of the image forming
apparatus, a spring member to support the support leg and
extendable in a height direction, a sheet feed port which is formed
in the finishing apparatus to be opposite to a sheet discharge port
of the image forming apparatus and has a width wider than a width
of the sheet discharge port in the height direction, sheet
discharge guides which are arranged to be opposite to each other at
an exit of the sheet discharge port and sandwich a conveyance path
of the sheet in the image forming apparatus, sheet feed guides
which are arranged to be opposite to each other at an inlet of the
sheet feed port and sandwich a conveyance path of the sheet in the
finishing apparatus, electromagnets provided at ends of the sheet
feed guides at a side of the sheet feed port, magnetic members
which are rotatably provided to ends of the sheet discharge guides
at a side of the sheet discharge port and are attracted by the
electromagnets, and a control section which drives the
electromagnets in a state where the image forming apparatus is
connected to the finishing apparatus, and causes the electromagnets
to attract the magnetic members to provide a taper-shaped
expansion.
[0017] Hereinafter, a sheet processing apparatus of an embodiment
will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
Incidentally, the same portion in the respective drawings is
denoted by the same reference numeral.
[0018] In FIG. 1, an image forming apparatus 10 is, for example, an
MFP (Multi-Function Peripherals) as a compound machine, a printer,
a copying machine or the like. A finishing apparatus 20 is disposed
adjacently to the image forming apparatus 10. A sheet on which an
image is formed by the image forming apparatus 10 is conveyed to
the finishing apparatus 20.
[0019] The finishing apparatus 20 includes, for example, a stapler
(finishing section) to staple plural sheets supplied from the image
forming apparatus 10. Hereinafter, the finishing apparatus 20 will
be referred to as the finisher 20. Besides, a description will be
made while the MFP is used as an example of the image forming
apparatus 10.
[0020] A document table is provided at an upper part of a main body
11 of the MFP 10, and an auto document feeder (ADF) 12 is openably
and closably provided on the document table. Besides, an operation
panel 13 is provided at the upper part of the main body 11. The
operation panel 13 includes an operation section 14 composed of
various keys and a touch panel type display section 15.
[0021] A scanner section 16 is provided at the lower part of the
ADF 12 in the main body 11. The scanner section 16 reads a document
sent by the ADF 12 or a document placed on the document table, and
generates image data. A printer section 17 is provided at the
center part in the main body 11, and plural cassettes 18 to contain
various sizes of sheets are provided at the lower part of the main
body 11.
[0022] The printer section 17 includes a photoconductive drum, a
laser and the like, processes the image data read by the scanner
section 16 or image data created by a PC (Personal Computer) or the
like and forms an image on a sheet. The printer section 17 scans
and exposes the surface of the photoconductive drum by a laser beam
from the laser, and forms an electrostatic latent image on the
photoconductive drum. A charging unit, a developing unit, a
transfer unit and the like are disposed around the photoconductive
drum, the electrostatic latent image on the photoconductive drum is
developed by the developing unit, and a toner image is formed on
the photoconductive drum. The toner image is transferred to the
sheet by the transfer unit. The structure of the printer section 17
is not limited to the foregoing example, but various systems are
used.
[0023] The sheet on which the image is formed by the printer
section 17 passes through a first conveyance path 41 and is
discharged to a storage tray 43. Alternatively, the sheet passes
through a second conveyance path 42 and is discharged to the
finisher 20 by a sheet discharge roller 19. The first conveyance
path 41 and the second conveyance path 42 are disposed in parallel
in the height direction, and constitute a sheet conveyance path to
convey a sheet subjected to image formation by the printer section
17. When the sheet S is not finished, the sheet is conveyed to the
storage tray 43 through the conveyance path 41. When the sheet S is
finished, the sheet is conveyed to the finisher 20 through the
conveyance path 42.
[0024] The finisher 20 is for stapling the sheet, and includes a
standby tray 21, a processing tray 22 and a stapler 23. The sheet S
is received by an inlet roller 24 provided at a carry-in entrance
of the finisher 20. The inlet roller 29 includes an upper roller
and a lower roller and is driven by a motor.
[0025] A sheet feed roller 25 is provided downstream of the inlet
roller 24, and the sheet S received by the inlet roller 24 is sent
to the standby tray 21 through the sheet feed roller 25. The sheet
feed roller 25 includes an upper roller and a lower roller and is
driven by a motor. The processing tray 22 for stacking the sheets
dropped from the standby tray 21 is disposed below the standby tray
21.
[0026] The standby tray 21 stacks the sheet S and has an openable
structure. When a specified number of sheets S are stored, the
standby tray 21 is opened, and the sheets S are dropped to the
processing tray 22 by their own weight or the operation of a drop
assistant member to forcibly drop. The processing tray 22 supports
the sheet S in the period in which the stapler 23 staples the sheet
S.
[0027] The sheet dropped to the processing tray 22 is guided to the
stapler 23 by a roller 26, and the stapler 23 staples the sheet S.
The roller 26 is driven by a motor, and rotation is reversed
between when the roller 26 guides the sheet S to the stapler 23 and
when the stapled sheet S is discharged.
[0028] When stapling is performed, the plural sheets S dropped from
the standby tray 21 to the processing tray are aligned in the
longitudinal direction as the conveyance direction, and are aligned
in the lateral direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction
and are stapled. A lateral alignment plate 27 is provided to align
the sheets S in the lateral direction. The lateral alignment plate
27 performs the lateral alignment and sorting of the sheets S.
[0029] Besides, in order to assist the sheet S in dropping to the
processing tray 22, a rotatable paddle 28 is provided at the
position where the trailing edge of the sheet S drops. The paddle
28 is attached to a rotation shaft, slaps the sheet S dropped from
the standby tray 21 onto the processing tray 22, and sends the
sheet S in the direction to the stapler 23.
[0030] A stopper 29 to regulate the position of the trailing edge
of the sheet S is provided at the end of the processing tray 22 at
the stapler 23 side. Besides, a conveyance belt 30 is provided in
order to convey the sorted or stapled sheets S to the storage tray
51. The conveyance belt 30 is stretched between pulleys 31 and 32,
and a pawl member 30a to hook and send the trailing edge of the
sheet S is attached to the conveyance belt 30. A mechanism to
rotate the pulleys 31 and 32 is omitted.
[0031] The conveyance belt 30 is rotated in an arrow t direction,
so that the sheet S is discharged from a discharge port 33 to a
storage tray 51. The storage tray 51 is moved up and down by a
motor and receives the sheet S. The conveyance belt 30 and the pawl
member 30a guide the stapled sheet S to the discharge port 33.
[0032] Besides, when the sheet S stacked on the standby tray 21 is
discharged to the storage tray 51 without stapling, the sheet S is
not dropped to the processing tray 22 but is discharged by the
rotation roller 34. Besides, the sheet S not required to be stapled
can be discharged also to a fixed tray 52. A conveyance path is
provided to guide the sheet S to the fixed tray 52. An assist arm
35 is swingably attached to an attachment shaft of the upper roller
of the sheet feed roller 25. The assist arm 35 protrudes to the
discharge side of the sheet feed roller 25, and presses the sheet
to the standby tray 21 so that the trailing edge side of the sheet
S discharged from the sheet feed roller 25 does not rise.
[0033] A leg 44 and a castor 45 are attached to the bottom of the
MFP 10, and a castor 53 and a castor 54 are attached to the bottom
of the finisher 20. The castors 53 and 54 are support legs to
support the finisher 20. The castor 53 attached at the position
close to the MFP 10 is supported by a spring 55, and the spring 55
is extendable in the height direction. Besides, a projection 46 as
an index used when the MFP 10 and the finisher 20 are connected to
each other is provided at the upper end of the MFP 10 at the
finisher side, and the projection 46 is inserted into a reception
port 56 of the finisher 20 so that the MFP 10 and the finisher 20
are connected.
[0034] When both the MFP 10 and the finisher 20 are independent
type apparatuses, when the floor surface on which they are placed
is uneven or there is a variation between both the apparatuses, the
MFP 10 and the finisher 20 can not be well connected, the
conveyance of the sheet can not be well performed, and a jam can
occur.
[0035] In the embodiment, even if the floor surface on which the
MFP 10 and the finisher 20 are placed is uneven or has a step, the
spring 55 attached to the castor 53 can absorb the difference in
placement height.
[0036] FIG. 2 shows a state where the MFP 10 and the finisher 20
are separated from each other. Incidentally, the structure of the
finisher 20 is simplified and shown. When the floor surface on
which the MFP 10 and the finisher 20 are placed is flat, the
projection 46 is smoothly inserted into the reception port 56 and
the connection can be performed. The height of the sheet discharge
port of the sheet discharge roller 19 becomes equal to the height
of the sheet feed port of the inlet roller 24, and the sheet can be
delivered.
[0037] On the other hand, a description will be made to a case
where there is a step between the floor surfaces on which the MFP
10 and the finisher 20 are placed. FIG. 3 shows a state where the
floor surface on which the MFP 10 is placed is slightly lower than
the floor surface on which the finisher 20 is placed. In the
example of FIG. 3, when the projection 46 is inserted into the
reception port 56, the spring 55 to support the castor 53 is
contracted, and the height position of the castor 53 rises. Thus,
the height of the sheet discharge port of the sheet discharge
roller 19 becomes equal to the height of the sheet feed port of the
inlet roller 24, and the step can be absorbed.
[0038] FIG. 4 shows a state where the floor surface on which the
MFP 10 is placed is slightly higher than the floor surface on which
the finisher 20 is placed. In the example of FIG. 4, when the
projection 46 is inserted into the reception port 56, the spring 55
to support the castor 53 is extended, and the height position of
the castor 53 is lowered. Thus, the height of the sheet discharge
port of the sheet discharge roller 19 becomes equal to the height
of the sheet discharge port of the inlet roller 24.
[0039] That is, in the finisher 20, in accordance with the height
reference of the index (projection 46), the castor 53 moves up and
down according to the step (difference between the height positions
of the floor surfaces of placement). Thus, the heights of the sheet
discharge port and the sheet feed port can be made coincident with
each other. Incidentally, the castor 54 may also be supported by a
spring 55. The finisher 20 can be placed horizontally on the floor
surface by supporting both the castors 53 and 54 by the springs
55.
[0040] Also conceivable that the spring 55 is attached to the MFP
10 and the castor 45 is supported by the spring 55. However, since
the weight of the MFP 10 is higher than the weight of the finisher
20, necessary to increase the force of the spring. Accordingly,
when the castor 53 of the finisher 20 is supported by the spring
55, the force of the spring 55 maybe low, and the MFP 10 and the
finisher 20 are more easily connected.
[0041] FIG. 5 is a structural view showing the MFP 10 and the
finisher 20 which are provided with a guide mechanism 60 for
smoothly delivering the sheet S from the sheet discharge roller 19
of the MFP 10 to the inlet roller 24 of the finisher 20. FIG. 5
shows a state where the MFP 10 and the finisher 20 are separated
from each other. The guide mechanism 60 is provided in connecting
sections of the MFP 10 and the finisher 20.
[0042] FIG. 6 is an enlarged structural view of the guide mechanism
60. The MFP 10 is provided with a sheet discharge port 47 at the
finisher 20 side, and the finisher 20 is provided with a sheet feed
port 57 opposite to the sheet discharge port 47. The sheet
discharge port 57 has the width wider than the width of the sheet
discharge port 47 in the height direction.
[0043] The sheet discharge roller 19 of the MFP 10 includes an
upper roller 19A and a lower roller 19B, and sheet discharge guides
61A and 61B are provided at an exit portion of the sheet discharge
port 47. The sheet discharge guides 61A and 61B are arranged to be
parallel and opposite to each other so as to sandwich the
conveyance path of the sheet S. One ends of link plates 62A and 62B
are rotatably attached to ends of the sheet discharge guides 61A
and 61B at the sheet discharge port 47 side. Magnetic members 63A
and 63B such as iron are rotatably attached to the other ends of
the link plates 62A and 62B.
[0044] On the other hand, the inlet roller 24 of the finisher 20
includes an upper roller 24A and a lower roller 24B, and sheet feed
guides 64A and 64B are provided at an inlet portion of the sheet
feed port 57. The sheet feed guides 69A and 64B are arranged to be
parallel and opposite to each other so as to sandwich the
conveyance path of the sheet S. Electromagnets 65A and 65B are
attached to ends of the sheet feed guides 64A and 64B at the sheet
feed port 57 side so as to be opposite to the magnetic members 63A
and 63B.
[0045] The electromagnets 65A and 65B respectively include, for
example, flat-shaped print coils, and generate magnetic fields to
attract the magnetic members 63A and 63B by causing current to flow
through the print coils.
[0046] The link plates 62A and 62B and the magnetic members 63A and
63B do not rotate at the time of power-off, and extend linearly to
be parallel to the sheet conveyance path as shown in FIG. 6. At the
time of power-on, the electromagnets 65A and 65B are excited, the
electromagnets 65A and 65B respectively attract the opposite
magnetic members 63A and 63B, and the link plates 62A and 62B
rotate like a crank while the ends of the sheet discharge guides
61A and 61B are made fulcrums.
[0047] FIG. 7 shows the operation of the guide mechanism 60 when
the power is turned on in the state where the MFP 10 and the
finisher 20 are connected to each other. When the power is turned
on, the electromagnets 65A and 65B are excited, the electromagnets
65A and 65B attract the opposite magnetic members 63A and 63B, and
the link plates 62A and 62B rotate like a crank. When the magnetic
members 63A and 63B are attracted by the electromagnets 65A and
65B, the upper and lower parts of the Sheet conveyance path expand
to form a taper shape.
[0048] FIG. 7 shows the state where the height of the sheet
discharge port of the MFP 10 is coincident with the height of the
sheet feed port of the finisher 20, and the sheet S conveyed by the
sheet discharge roller 19 is straightly supplied to the inlet
roller 24. For convenience, in FIG. 7, the sheet discharge port 47
and the sheet feed port 57 are not illustrated.
[0049] When the interval between the sheet discharge guides 61A and
61B is L1, and the interval between the sheet feed guides 64A and
64B is L2, L1<L2 is established. That is, since the interval L2
between the sheet feed guides 64A and 64B is made wide, even if
there is a step on the floor surface on which the MFP 10 and the
finisher 20 are placed, the sheet S discharged from the MFP 10 can
be fed to the finisher 20 without collision.
[0050] Incidentally, the sheet feed guides 64A and 64B are provided
with taper sections 66A and 66B in front of the inlet roller 24.
The sheet S can be guided to the inlet roller 24 by the taper
sections 66A and 66B, and the occurrence of a jam can be more
certainly prevented.
[0051] FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing the principal part of
the guide mechanism 60. In FIG. 8, the sheet discharge guides 61A
and 61B are arranged in parallel and at the interval L1, and the
sheet S is conveyed in an arrow direction between the sheet
discharge guides 61A and 61B. The upper roller 19A and the lower
roller 19B of the sheet discharge roller 19 are arranged at
portions of slits 67 formed in the sheet discharge guides 61A and
61B, and the upper roller 19A and the lower roller 19B are opposite
to and contact each other.
[0052] The sheet feed guides 64A and 64B are arranged in parallel
and at the interval L2, the upper roller 24A and the lower roller
24B of the inlet roller 24 are arranged in portions of slits 68
formed in the sheet feed guides 64A and 64B, and the upper roller
24A and the lower roller 24B are opposite to and contact each
other. One ends of the link plates 62A and 62B are rotatably
attached to the ends of the sheet discharge guides 61A and 61B, and
the magnetic members 63A and 63B are rotatably attached to the
other ends of the link plates 62A and 62B. The electromagnets 65A
and 65B are respectively attached to the ends of the sheet feed
guides 64A and 64B to be opposite to the magnetic members 63A and
63B.
[0053] When power is applied to the electromagnets 65A and 65B, the
electromagnets 65A and 65B respectively attract the opposite
magnetic members 63A and 63B, and the link plates 62A and 62B
rotate like a crank while the ends of the sheet discharge guides
61A and 61B are made fulcrums. In FIG. 8, although each of the
electromagnets 65A and 65B and the link plates 62A and 62B is
composed of one piece, the respective one may be divided into
plural pieces in a direction perpendicular to the conveyance
direction of the sheet S.
[0054] FIG. 9 and FIG. 10 are explanatory view showing the
operation of the guide mechanism 60 when there is an unevenness or
a step on the floor surface on which the MFP 10 and the finisher 20
are placed.
[0055] FIG. 9 shows a state where the floor surface on which the
MFP 10 is placed is slightly lower than the floor surface on which
the finisher 20 is placed. In the example of FIG. 9, when power is
applied to the electromagnets 65A and 65B, the electromagnet 65A
and 65B respectively attract the opposite magnetic members 63A and
63B. However, since the height of the electromagnet 65A is high,
the rotation angle of the link plate 62A is larger than the
rotation angle of the link plate 62B. The sheet S conveyed by the
sheet discharge roller 19 is supplied to the inlet roller 24.
[0056] FIG. 10 shows a state where the floor surface on which the
MFP 10 is placed is slightly higher than the floor surface on which
the finisher 20 is placed. In the example of FIG. 10, when power is
applied to the electromagnets 65A and 65B, the electromagnets 65A
and 65B respectively attract the opposite magnetic members 63A and
63B. However, since the position of the electromagnet 65B is low,
the rotation angle of the link plate 62B is larger than the
rotation angle of the link plate 62A. The sheet S conveyed by the
sheet discharge roller 19 is supplied to the inlet roller 24.
[0057] As is understood from FIG. 9 and FIG. 10, since the interval
L2 between the sheet feed guides 64A and 64B is made wider than the
interval L1 between the sheet discharge guides 61A and 61B, even if
there is a step, the sheet S discharged from the MFP 10 can be fed
to the finisher 20 without collision. Accordingly, the sheet S can
be smoothly conveyed from the MFP 10 to the finisher 20. Besides,
when both the spring 55 to support the castor 53 and the guide
mechanism 60 are used, the connection between the MFP 10 and the
finisher 20 can be more stabilized.
[0058] FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing a control system of the
MFP 10 and the finisher 20.
[0059] In FIG. 11, a main control section 101 includes a CPU 102, a
ROM 103 and a RAM 104, and the CPU 102 controls the MFP 10 in
accordance with a control program stored in the ROM 103. The main
control section 101 controls the operation of the ADF 12, the
scanner section 16 and the printer section 17 in response to the
operation of the operation panel 13. The RAM 104 temporarily stores
control data and is used for arithmetic operations at the time of
control.
[0060] The operation panel 13 includes the plural keys 14 and the
display section 15 used also as a touch panel, and can give various
instructions for image formation. For example, the instruction of
the number of copies is performed using the keys 14, and the
instructions of sheet size, sheet type, stapling, punching and the
like are performed by operating the touch panel of the display
section 15.
[0061] A finisher control section 201 controls the operation of the
finisher 20. The finisher control section 201 is connected to the
main control section 101, and communicates information with the
main control section 101. The MFP 10 and the finisher 20 operate in
cooperation with each other. The finisher control section 201
performs the control of position of the stapler 23, execution of
stapling, conveyance of the sheet S to the stapler 23, discharge of
the sheet bundle after stapling, and the like.
[0062] For example, when a power button among the plural keys 14 is
pressed and the power is turned on, the finisher control section
201 applies power to the electromagnets 65A and 65B to attract the
magnetic members 63A and 63B, and the magnetic members 63A and 63B
and the link plates 62A and 62B provide a taper-shaped
expansion.
[0063] As described above, in this embodiment, when the MFP 10 and
the finisher 20 are connected to each other, even if there is a
step on the placement surface, the height position of the castor 53
is changed by contraction or extension of the spring 55. Thus, the
height of the sheet discharge port of the sheet discharge roller 19
becomes equal to the height of the sheet feed port of the inlet
roller 24, and the step can be absorbed. Besides, when the guide
mechanism 60 is provided, the sheet S discharged from the MFP 10
can be fed without collision against the finisher 20.
[0064] Further, not limited to the above described-embodiment, and
can be variously modified. For example, although the description is
made to the example in which the stapler is provided in the
finisher 20, a folding unit to fold a sheet bundle may be provided.
Besides, a puncher to form a punch hole in a sheet may be
provided.
[0065] While certain embodiments have been described, these
embodiments have been presented by way of example only, and are not
intended to limit the scope of the invention. Indeed, the novel
apparatus and methods described herein may be embodied in a variety
of other forms; furthermore, various omissions, substitutions and
changes in the form of the apparatus and methods described herein
may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. The
accompanying claims and their equivalents are intended to cover
such forms or modifications as would fall within the scope and
spirit of the invention.
* * * * *