US20020175460A1 - Output tray having an increased capacity for stapled - Google Patents
Output tray having an increased capacity for stapled Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- US20020175460A1 US20020175460A1 US09/822,614 US82261401A US2002175460A1 US 20020175460 A1 US20020175460 A1 US 20020175460A1 US 82261401 A US82261401 A US 82261401A US 2002175460 A1 US2002175460 A1 US 2002175460A1
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- United States
- Prior art keywords
- see
- sheets
- stapled
- output tray
- sheet
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
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Classifications
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65H—HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
- B65H31/00—Pile receivers
- B65H31/02—Pile receivers with stationary end support against which pile accumulates
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B42—BOOKBINDING; ALBUMS; FILES; SPECIAL PRINTED MATTER
- B42C—BOOKBINDING
- B42C1/00—Collating or gathering sheets combined with processes for permanently attaching together sheets or signatures or for interposing inserts
- B42C1/12—Machines for both collating or gathering and permanently attaching together the sheets or signatures
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65H—HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
- B65H2405/00—Parts for holding the handled material
- B65H2405/10—Cassettes, holders, bins, decks, trays, supports or magazines for sheets stacked substantially horizontally
- B65H2405/11—Parts and details thereof
- B65H2405/111—Bottom
- B65H2405/1113—Bottom with surface portions curved in width-wise direction
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65H—HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
- B65H2405/00—Parts for holding the handled material
- B65H2405/10—Cassettes, holders, bins, decks, trays, supports or magazines for sheets stacked substantially horizontally
- B65H2405/11—Parts and details thereof
- B65H2405/111—Bottom
- B65H2405/1115—Bottom with surface inclined, e.g. in width-wise direction
- B65H2405/11151—Bottom with surface inclined, e.g. in width-wise direction with surface inclined upwardly in transport direction
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65H—HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
- B65H2701/00—Handled material; Storage means
- B65H2701/10—Handled articles or webs
- B65H2701/11—Dimensional aspect of article or web
- B65H2701/112—Section geometry
- B65H2701/1125—Section geometry variable thickness
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65H—HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
- B65H2701/00—Handled material; Storage means
- B65H2701/10—Handled articles or webs
- B65H2701/18—Form of handled article or web
- B65H2701/182—Piled package
- B65H2701/1829—Bound, bundled or stapled stacks or packages
- B65H2701/18292—Stapled sets of sheets
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65H—HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
- B65H2801/00—Application field
- B65H2801/24—Post -processing devices
- B65H2801/27—Devices located downstream of office-type machines
Definitions
- This invention relates to an output tray for receiving stapled groups of sheets for stacking and, more particularly, to a output tray having a corner area of its sheet support surface formed with a cutout depression to compensate for the thickness of the staples relative to the thickness of the stapled sheets in stacking groups of stapled sheets.
- a support surface of an inclined output tray receives each stapled group of sheets.
- more staples will exist in a stack of stapled sheets of groups of two stapled sheets than for any greater number of stapled sheets in a group for the same total number of sheets. For example, fifty staples would be present in a stack of 100 sheets when each group has only two sheets stapled to each other while only twenty staples would be present for 100 stacked sheets when each group of the stapled sheets has five sheets stapled to each other.
- a staple is substantially thicker than a sheet of paper and the staples are substantially aligned with each other when stacked on the inclined output tray, the stack of sheets in the right rear (as viewed from the front) corner of the inclined output tray is significantly higher when each group of the stapled sheets is in a range of two to five sheets than when each group of the stacked sheets is greater than five.
- the inclined output tray of the present invention has its capacity significantly increased in comparison with the prior inclined output tray when each stapled group contains two sheets, for example.
- the inclined output tray of the present invention solves this capacity problem by providing a recess or depression in a corner area in which the staples are substantially vertically aligned with each other when each group of the stapled sheets is stacked on top of the other groups.
- Comparison tests have shown an increase of 50% in the capacity of the inclined output tray of the present invention in comparison with the same inclined output tray having no compensation for the relatively large thickness of the staple in comparison with the thickness of a sheet of paper. With five stapled sheets in each group, the comparison test disclosed that the capacity of the inclined output tray of the present invention increased 54.2% relative to the inclined output tray having no compensation for the relatively large thickness of the staples in comparison with the thickness of the sheet of paper.
- An object of this invention is to provide an output tray having an increased capacity of stapled sheets.
- Another object of this invention is to provide an inclined output tray having an increased capacity of stapled sheets.
- FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a printer having a finisher disposed thereon.
- FIG. 2 is a right side perspective view of the finisher of FIG. 1 including an aligning roller, an accumulator table receiving sheets falling by gravity for support thereby during advancement by the aligning roller towards two substantially perpendicular reference barriers, and an inclined output tray to which each sheet (shown in phantom) is advanced after being aligned with the two reference barriers by the aligning roller.
- FIG. 3 is a left side perspective view of the finisher of FIG. 2 with left and right bails added thereto.
- FIG. 4 is a schematic top plan view showing a sheet partially supported on the accumulator table after being fed thereto from exit corrugation rollers in solid lines and a dash line position to which the sheet is initially moved by the aligning roller.
- FIG. 5 is a schematic top plan view, similar to FIG. 4, showing advancement of the sheet from the final position of FIG. 4 (solid lines in FIG. 5) and engagement of a rear edge of the sheet with a rear reference barrier in dash lines.
- FIG. 6 is a schematic top plan view, similar to FIGS. 4 and 5, in which the solid line position is the position to which the sheet was advanced in FIG. 5 and the dash line position is at completion of advancement of the sheet with a side edge engaging a side reference barrier.
- FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a sheet aligning assembly of the finisher.
- FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view of the sheet aligning assembly of FIG. 7.
- FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view of a sub-assembly of the sheet aligning assembly of FIG. 8 including a pivotally mounted housing and the aligning roller supported by the pivotally mounted housing.
- FIG. 10 is a rear perspective view of a portion of the finisher of FIG. 7 showing the sheet aligning assembly of FIG. 7 disposed relative to the accumulator table of the finisher.
- FIG. 11 is a fragmentary top plan view of the sheet aligning assembly of FIG. 7 along with a printed sheet in its initial position in dash lines and in its aligned position after completion of sheet advancement by the aligning roller in solid lines.
- FIG. 12 is a fragmentary side elevation view of the aligning roller in its home or rest position in which the aligning roller does not rotate, a portion of the accumulator table on which each printed sheet is supported, and a driving crank.
- FIG. 13 is a fragmentary side elevation view, similar to FIG. 12, of the aligning roller in its frictional contact position with a printed sheet for advancing the printed sheet to its aligned position, the portion of the accumulator table, and the driving crank advanced 180° from its home position of FIG. 12.
- FIG. 14 is a fragmentary side elevation view, similar to FIG. 13, of the aligning roller, the portion of the accumulator table with the aligning roller removed from its sheet contact position in FIG. 13, and the driving crank advanced 90° from its position in FIG. 13 but 90° prior to its position in FIG. 12.
- FIG. 15 is a perspective view of a sub-assembly of the aligning roller and its support.
- FIG. 16 is a front perspective view of a gear box of the finisher including a gear train for driving various portions of the finisher during each cycle of operation.
- FIG. 17 is a perspective view of a clamp arm having a lower portion for receiving each sheet as it is advanced by the aligning roller towards the side reference barrier and a cam follower arm having a clamp for clamping each printed sheet after it is advanced against the side reference barrier.
- FIG. 18 is a bottom plan view of the clamp arm and the cam follower arm of FIG. 17.
- FIG. 19 is a front perspective view of the finisher and showing an electric stapler for stapling aligned stacked sheets.
- FIG. 20 is a top plan view of a portion of the accumulator table and showing the location of the electric stapler relative to each printed sheet at the aligned position.
- FIG. 21 is a perspective view of the bail actuator used in the finisher of the present invention.
- FIG. 22 is a side schematic view of a bail actuator in its rest or home position with a sheet beginning to exit from two sets of exit corrugation rollers.
- FIG. 23 is a side schematic view, similar to FIG. 22, with the bail actuator pivoted 20° from its position of FIG. 22.
- FIG. 24 is a side schematic view, similar to FIGS. 22 and 23, with the bail actuator at its maximum pivoted position prior to the sheet falling by gravity as it leaves the exit corrugation rollers.
- FIG. 25 is a perspective view showing the relation between the left bail and the bail actuator when the bail actuator has pivoted to its position of FIG. 23.
- FIG. 26 is a right side perspective view that is the same as FIG. 2 except that a printed sheet is shown with a longitudinal downwardly facing arch extending the length of the sheet.
- FIG. 27 is a side schematic view that is the same as FIG. 22 except that a printed sheet has a longitudinal downwardly facing arch extending the length of the sheet.
- FIG. 28 is a perspective view of an inclined output tray having a single group of stapled sheets supported thereby with a recess or depression in the right rear corner of the inclined output tray for receiving the corner of the single group of stapled sheets having the staple.
- FIG. 29 is a perspective view of the inclined output tray of FIG. 28 with a plurality of groups of stapled sheets supported thereby.
- FIG. 30 is a perspective view of the inclined output tray of FIGS. 28 and 29 with the inclined output tray full of groups of stapled sheets supported thereby.
- FIG. 31 is a graph comparing the capacity of the inclined output tray of FIG. 28 with its right rear corner having a recess or depression for receiving the stapled corners and the capacity of an inclined output tray with no recess or depression in its right rear corner with different numbers of sheets for each job or group.
- FIG. 32 is a side elevational view of the accumulator table and the inclined output tray with a printed sheet disposed thereon with its upwardly facing arch extending laterally.
- FIG. 1 there is shown a printer 10 having a finisher 11 , which can be detachable from the printer 10 and is supported thereby.
- a printer 10 having a finisher 11 , which can be detachable from the printer 10 and is supported thereby.
- One suitable example of the printer 10 is a laser printer sold under the trademark OPTRA by the assignee of this application or as modified in the future.
- printed sheets 12 are fed in sequence from the rear of the printer 10 (see FIG. 1) vertically into the rear of the finisher 11 .
- This may be in a known manner such as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,810,353 to Baskette et al, for example.
- the finisher 11 includes an accumulator table 14 (see FIG. 2) having an upper support surface 15 to which each of the printed sheets 12 is fed by an upper cooperating set 16 (see FIG. 3) of four exit corrugation rollers 16 A mounted on a shaft 16 B and a lower cooperating set 17 of two large corrugation rollers 17 A and three small corrugation rollers 17 B mounted on a shaft 17 C (see FIG. 2).
- the axial spacing of the four exit corrugation rollers 16 A (see FIG. 3) on the shaft 16 B relative to the two large corrugation rollers 17 A and the three small corrugation rollers 17 B of the set 17 is particularly shown and described in the aforesaid Ardery et al application, Ser. No. 09/793,360, which is incorporated by reference herein.
- the corrugation rollers 16 A and the corrugation rollers 17 A and 17 B cooperate to induce wave shapes across each of the printed sheets 12 (see FIG. 2) exiting therefrom but only while the printed sheets 12 are engaged by the rollers 16 A, 17 A, and 17 B.
- each of the printed sheets 12 falls onto the upper support surface 15 of the accumulator table 14 for support thereby or on top of another of the printed sheets 12 already supported by the upper support surface 15 of the accumulator table 14 .
- the printed sheet 12 falls by gravity and the engaging force of a pivot actuator 19 (see FIG. 21) also falling by gravity.
- each of the printed sheets 12 falls onto the upper support surface 15 of the accumulator table 14 , most of each of the printed sheets 12 will be supported on an inclined output tray 18 .
- the inclined output tray 18 is spring mounted to be continuously urged upwardly to maintain the vertical separation between the upper support surface 15 of the accumulator table 14 and the topmost sheet 12 supported on the inclined output tray 18 as the printed sheets 12 are disposed on it.
- the bail actuator 19 (see FIG. 21) has a pair of arcuate extensions 19 A and 19 B pivotally mounted on the shaft 16 B (see FIG. 22) of the upper set 16 of the exit corrugation rollers 16 A. As each of the printed sheets 12 exits from between the corrugation roller sets 16 and 17 , its leading edge 19 C engages a back surface 19 D of each of the arcuate extensions 19 A and 19 B (see FIG. 21) in a portion not wrapped around the shaft 16 B. This exerts a force on the bail actuator 19 to cause the bail actuator 19 to move from its rest or home position of FIG. 22 to its position in FIG. 23 through the bail actuator 19 pivoting 20° about the axis of the shaft 16 B.
- a cam surface 19 E (see FIG. 21) at the bottom of a leg 19 F of the bail actuator 19 causes pivotal movement of a left bail 20 (see FIG. 25) through the cam surface 19 E engaging a cam surface (not shown) on the bottom surface of a bottom portion 20 A of an actuation arm 20 B of the left bail 20 .
- the left bail 20 is pivotally mounted through two pivot pins 20 C being supported in a mounting bracket 20 D (see FIG. 3), which is attached to a top cover (not shown) supported on a side frame 20 F (one shown in FIG. 1) of the finisher 11 .
- This is more particularly shown and described in the aforesaid Gordon et al application, Ser. No. 09/779,852, which is incorporated by reference herein.
- a right bail 21 (see FIG. 3) is similarly pivotally mounted by two pivot pins 21 A being supported in a mounting bracket 21 B, which also is attached to the top cover (not shown) supported on the side frame (one shown at 20 F in FIG. 1) of the finisher 11 .
- the right bail 21 has a cam surface (not shown) on the bottom surface of a bottom portion 21 C (see FIG. 3) of an actuating arm 21 D engaged by a cam surface 22 (see FIG. 21) at the bottom of a leg 23 of the bail actuator 19 for movement at the same time as the left bail 20 (see FIG. 3). Therefore, the bails 20 and 21 cooperate to support the printed sheet 12 (see FIG. 24) in the manner more particularly shown and described in the aforesaid Gordon et al application, Ser. No. 09/779,852.
- the leading edge 19 C (see FIG. 23) of the printed sheet 12 advances from the position of FIG. 23 until the bail actuator 19 reaches its maximum pivoted position of FIG. 24.
- the leading edge 19 C (see FIG. 22) of the printed sheet 12 rode along the back surface 19 D of each of the arcuate extensions 19 A (see FIG. 21) and 19 B until it reached a main portion 25 of the bail actuator 19 .
- the leading edge 19 C (see FIG. 23) of the printed sheet 12 rode along a back surface 26 of a sheet engaging member 27 , which extends downwardly from the main portion 25 (see FIG. 21) of the bail actuator 19 .
- the sheet engaging member 27 (see FIG. 24) of the bail actuator 19 pushes downwardly on the printed sheet 12 . This causes the printed sheet 12 to fall by gravity to the upper support surface 15 of the accumulator table 14 and the inclined output tray 18 (see FIG. 2).
- the wire bail 28 engages the printed sheet 12 .
- the wire bail 28 includes a horizontal front portion 28 A having a curved horizontal portion 28 B at each end connected to an angled horizontal portion 28 C.
- Each of the angled horizontal portions 28 C is connected by a curved horizontal portion 28 D to a rear horizontal portion 28 E.
- Each of the rear horizontal portions 28 E terminates in a vertical end portion 28 F extending upwardly therefrom.
- Each of the vertical end portions 28 F is disposed in a retainer 29 mounted on each of the legs 19 F and 23 of the bail actuator 19 . This prevents horizontal movement of the wire bail 28 .
- the rear horizontal portion 28 E has a snap fit in a groove 30 in an extension 31 of each of the legs 19 F and 23 of the bail actuator 19 to prevent downward movement of the wire bail 28 .
- the rear horizontal portion 28 E also has a snap fit in a groove 32 in a retainer 33 on the extension 31 of each of the legs 19 F and 23 of the bail actuator 19 to prevent upward movement of the wire bail 28 .
- the horizontal front portion 28 A of the wire bail 28 preferably has a length of about five inches. It is desired that the horizontal front portion 28 A of the wire bail 28 extend as wide as possible.
- the horizontal front portion 28 A of the wire bail 28 breaks any longitudinal beam created in the printed sheet 12 (see FIG. 24) because of a curl created in the printed sheet 12 by a fuser (not shown) of the printer 10 (see FIG. 1), for example. This occurs after the printed sheet 12 (see FIG. 24) falls by gravity and is supported on the upper support surface 15 of the accumulator table 14 .
- the fuser (not shown) of the printer 10 creates a longitudinally extending curl in the printed sheet 12 to form the beam or arch along the entire length of the printed sheet 12 with a downwardly facing arch.
- the horizontal front portion 28 A (see FIG. 21) of the wire bail 28 breaks the longitudinal beam, if it exists, in the printed sheet 12 (see FIG. 24) after it is supported on the upper support surface 15 of the accumulator table 14 .
- the horizontal front portion 28 A (see FIG. 21) of the wire bail 28 creates a beam in the direction of the width of the printed sheet 12 (see FIG. 24) with a desired upwardly facing arch configuration. This upwardly facing arch of the printed sheet 12 increases the beam strength of each of the printed sheets 12 in the direction of alignment in which each of the printed sheets 12 is moved.
- FIG. 26 The downwardly facing arch in the printed sheet 12 is shown in FIG. 26 at 34 and is larger than shown. It also is shown in FIG. 27. FIG. 26 also shows the printed sheet 12 not falling by gravity in the desired shape because of the longitudinal beam in the printed sheet 12 .
- an aligning roller 35 When each of the printed sheets 12 (see FIG. 2) falls by gravity onto the upper support surface 15 of the accumulator table 14 , an aligning roller 35 must be maintained in an elevated position, which is its home position of FIG. 12, to enable the printed sheet 12 (see FIG. 2) to fall by gravity onto the accumulator table 14 .
- the aligning roller 35 is shown in FIG. 2 in its frictional contact position with the printed sheet 12 to be advanced by the aligning roller 35 .
- the accumulator table 14 includes a rear wall 36 , which is substantially perpendicular to the upper support surface 15 .
- the rear wall 36 functions as a rear reference barrier for engagement by the rear edge 37 (see FIG. 4) of each of the printed sheets 12 .
- the rear edge 37 of the printed sheet 12 must be within 10 mm. of the rear wall 36 (see FIG. 2) of the accumulator table 14 . There is preferably only 4 mm. between the rear edge 37 (see FIG. 4) of the printed sheet 12 and the rear wall 36 of the accumulator table 14 (see FIG. 2). If the spacing is greater than 10 mm., the aligning roller 35 cannot advance the printed sheet 12 in the manner shown in FIGS. 4 - 6 .
- the aligning roller 35 is supported by a sheet aligning assembly 38 (see FIG. 7) for movement from its home position, which is shown in FIG. 12, to its frictional contact position, which is shown in FIG. 13, for engagement with each of the printed sheets 12 (see FIG. 4) and then returned to its home position.
- the sheet aligning assembly 38 (see FIG. 10) includes a frame 39 , which is supported by walls 40 (see FIG. 16) and 40 ′ of a gear box 41 .
- the frame 39 has a main shaft 42 rotatably supported in its end walls 43 and 44 .
- the frame 39 has an intermediate wall 45 between the end walls 43 and 44 .
- a housing 46 is mounted on the main shaft 42 for pivotal movement in both directions about the axis of the main shaft 42 .
- the pivotally mounted housing 46 includes a cylindrical portion 47 (see FIG. 9) having a circular passage 48 extending therethrough.
- a roller shaft 49 is rotatably supported in the circular passage 48 of the cylindrical portion 47 of the pivotally mounted housing 46 .
- the roller shaft 49 has the aligning roller 35 retained on its enlarged end 50 by a resilient finger 51 disposed in a slot 52 in a hub 52 ′ of the aligning roller 35 and engaging the hub 52 ′. This connection causes rotation of the aligning roller 35 only when the roller shaft 49 is rotated.
- the roller shaft 49 has its other end 53 extending beyond the cylindrical portion 47 of the housing 46 to support a helical gear 55 .
- the helical gear 55 is held on the roller shaft 49 (see FIG. 11) by a C-clip 56 disposed in a groove 57 (see FIG. 9) in the roller shaft 49 .
- the roller shaft 49 has flat side portions 58 and 59 against which flat side portions 60 and 61 , respectively, of a circular passage 62 extending through the helical gear 55 engage. Accordingly, when the helical gear 55 is rotated, the roller shaft 49 rotates to rotate the aligning roller 35 .
- Each side of the helical gear 55 has a boss 64 (one shown in FIG. 9) extending slightly beyond the remainder of each side of the helical gear 55 .
- the helical gear 55 meshes with a helical gear 65 (see FIG. 7).
- the helical gear 65 is mounted on the main shaft 42 to be driven thereby.
- the helical gear 65 rotates with the main shaft 42 through flat side portions (one shown at 66 in FIGS. 7 and 8) on the main shaft 42 engaging cooperating flat side portions (not shown) of a circular passage 67 (see FIG. 8) in the helical gear 65 .
- Each side of the helical gear 65 has a boss 68 (one shown in FIG. 8) extending slightly beyond the remainder of the helical gear 65 .
- a C-clip 69 is disposed in a groove 70 in the main shaft 42 to position the helical gear 65 on the main shaft 42 through limiting its axial movement to the left in FIG. 7. This insures that the teeth of the helical gear 65 and the teeth of the helical gear 55 will always mesh.
- the pivotally mounted housing 46 (see FIG. 9) has a circular passage 71 to receive the main shaft 42 (see FIG. 7). This mounts the housing 46 on the main shaft 42 so that it may pivot in either direction on the main shaft 42 .
- the pivotally mounted housing 46 is disposed next to the helical gear 65 but slightly spaced therefrom because of the boss 68 (see FIG. 8) on the helical gear 65 engaging the adjacent side of the pivotally mounted housing 46 (see FIG. 7).
- a C-clip 72 (see FIG. 8) is disposed in a groove 72 ′ in the main shaft 42 to hold the pivotally mounted housing 46 (see FIG. 7) on the main shaft 42 by limiting its axial movement to the right.
- the housing 46 is pivotally mounted on the main shaft 42 so that it can pivot relative to the main shaft 42 in either a clockwise or counterclockwise direction as the main shaft 42 is rotated in only one direction.
- a C-clip 73 (see FIG. 8) is disposed in a groove 74 in the main shaft 42 .
- the C-clip 73 engages the left (as viewed in FIG. 7) side of the intermediate wall 45 of the frame 39 to prevent movement of the main shaft 42 to the right.
- the main shaft 42 is driven by a gear 76 (see FIGS. 10, 11, and 16 ) having its teeth mesh with teeth on a gear 77 (see FIG. 16) of a gear train in the gear box 41 of the finisher 11 (see FIG. 1).
- a gear 76 see FIGS. 10, 11, and 16
- a DC motor 80 causes rotation of the gear 76 . This drives the main shaft 42 at a predetermined velocity during each cycle of operation.
- a hollow projecting guide 81 (see FIG. 8) on the end wall 44 of the frame 39 is disposed within a corresponding shaped opening (not shown) in the wall 40 (see FIG. 16) of the gear box 41 . This alignment insures that the gears 76 and 77 mesh satisfactorily.
- the gear 76 (see FIG. 10) is mounted on a flattened end 82 (see FIG. 7) of a drive shaft 83 extending through the hollow projecting guide 81 on the exterior of the end wall 44 of the frame 39 .
- the drive shaft 83 extends through the opening (not shown) in the wall 40 (see FIG. 16) of the gear box 41 to insure that the gear 76 is disposed within the gear box 41 .
- the drive shaft 83 extends through a passage in the hollow projecting guide 81 .
- the drive shaft 83 is rotatably supported in each of the end wall 44 and the intermediate wall 45 of the frame 39 .
- a drive gear 86 (see FIG. 8) is attached to the drive shaft 83 .
- the drive gear 86 meshes with an idler gear 87 .
- the idler gear 87 is rotatably supported on a stub shaft 88 , which extends through an opening 89 in the end wall 44 of the frame 39 to receive the idler gear 87 .
- the idler gear 87 meshes with a smaller gear 90 of a compound gear 91 .
- the compound gear 91 is rotatably mounted on the main shaft 42 .
- the compound gear 91 has its larger gear 92 mesh with a smaller gear 93 of a compound gear 94 , which is rotatably mounted on the drive shaft 83 .
- the compound gear 94 has its larger gear 95 mesh with a drive gear 96 , which is attached to the main shaft 42 for causing rotation thereof.
- Flat side portions 97 (one shown in FIG. 8) of the main shaft 42 cooperate with flat side portions (not shown) in a circular passage 98 in the drive gear 96 .
- the drive shaft 83 (see FIG. 8) has a crank 100 attached thereto through the drive shaft 83 being disposed in a hole 101 in the crank 100 .
- the hole 101 is smaller at its end remote from the intermediate wall 45 of the housing 39 so that an end 102 of the drive shaft 83 engages this reduced portion of the hole 101 to have fixed engagement therewith.
- crank 100 The direct connection of the crank 100 to the drive shaft 83 results in the crank 100 rotating at a much slower velocity than the main shaft 42 .
- the main shaft 42 makes approximately 3.75 revolutions per cycle of operation of the drive shaft 83 , and the connected crank 100 rotates only one revolution per cycle of operation since the drive shaft 83 makes only one revolution per cycle of operation.
- the crank 100 has a pin 105 formed integral therewith and extending through a longitudinal slot 106 in a link 107 .
- a C-clip 108 is disposed in a groove 109 in the pin 105 of the crank 100 to maintain the pin 105 in sliding relation with the link slot 106 .
- the link 107 has a circular passage 110 extending therethrough to receive a connecting pin 111 (see FIG. 9) extending through the circular passage 110 (see FIG. 8) into a circular passage 112 (see FIG. 9) in the housing 46 with which the connecting pin 111 has a press fit.
- Rotation of the crank 100 (see FIG. 8) by the drive shaft 83 imparts pivotal motion to the housing 46 (see FIG. 7) during each cycle of operation.
- a spring 115 extends between a spring anchor 116 on the housing 46 and a portion (not shown) of the gear box 41 (see FIG. 16). This results in the spring 115 (see FIG. 7) continuously exerting a force on the pivotally mounted housing 46 so that a force is continuously exerted on the aligning roller 35 when it is in contact with the sheet 12 (see FIG. 11).
- the spring 115 continuously urges the pivotally mounted housing 46 away from the home position, as shown in FIG. 12, of the aligning roller 35 supported thereby.
- the force of the spring 115 continuously causes the aligning roller 35 to exert a maximum normal force of a predetermined amount such as 50-60 grams, for example, on each of the printed sheets 12 (see FIG. 4) when the aligning roller 35 (see FIG. 7) comes in frictional contact therewith.
- This frictional contact position of the aligning roller 35 is shown in FIG. 13.
- the spring 115 (see FIG. 7) is the preferred force exerting means on the aligning roller 35 , it should be understood that other suitable force exerting means such as a counterweight, for example may be employed, if desired.
- the crank 100 (see FIG. 8) is preferred, it should be understood that a cam and a cam follower may be employed for controlling pivotal movement of the housing 46 , if desired.
- the housing 46 also supports a deflector 120 for deflecting each of the printed sheets 12 (see FIG. 2) as each of the printed sheets 12 is aligned on the support surface 15 (see FIG. 2) of the accumulator table 14 . This prevents each of the printed sheets 12 (see FIG. 11) from buckling upwardly when its side edge 123 engages an adjacent side reference barrier 122 .
- a tongue 121 (see FIG. 9), which is preferably a polyester film sold under the trademark MYLAR, is adhered to the bottom of the deflector 120 by a suitable adhesive.
- the tongue 121 which preferably has a thickness of 0.004′′, rides on each of the printed sheets 12 (see FIG. 2) to prevent the printed sheet 12 from riding up the rear wall 36 of the accumulator table 14 during alignment.
- the deflector 120 (see FIG. 9) has a slot 120 A to receive a projection 120 B on the housing 46 to prevent rotation of the deflector 120 .
- a flange 120 C on the deflector 120 engages the end of the housing 46 to limit movement of the deflector 120 onto the housing 46 .
- a flange 120 D on the connecting pin 111 engages the flange 120 C on the deflector 120 when the connecting pin 111 has a press fit in the connecting pin 111 .
- each of the helical gear 55 and the helical gear 65 preferably have the same angle. However, there may be a slight difference between the angles of the teeth of the helical gear 55 and the helical gear 65 , if desired.
- the sum of the angles of the teeth of the helical gear 55 and the helical gear 65 is equal to the angle of the aligning roller 35 relative to the side reference barrier 122 (see FIG. 11).
- the spacing between the side reference barrier 122 and the adjacent side edge 123 of the printed sheet 12 is typically 25 mm. and a maximum of 33 mm. for 81 ⁇ 2 ⁇ 11 paper and typically 33 mm. and a maximum of 39 mm. for A4 paper.
- angle of 66° is preferred, it should be understood that an angle in the range of 60° and 70° between the aligning roller 35 (see FIG. 11) and the side reference barrier 122 is satisfactory and other angles also could be employed, if desired. Furthermore, it should be understood that any angle greater than 45° of the aligning roller 35 with respect to the side reference barrier 122 will cause a greater force to be exerted on each of the printed sheets 12 to move it more towards the side reference barrier 122 than towards the rear wall 36 .
- the aligning roller 35 initially rotates the printed sheet 12 clockwise from the solid line position until its corner 124 engages the rear wall 36 as shown in dash lines in FIG. 4 and in solid lines in FIG. 5.
- the clockwise rotation is indicated by an arrow 125 .
- the aligning roller 35 next advances the printed sheet 12 from the solid line position of FIG. 5 to the dash line position. This includes both counterclockwise rotation (as indicated by an arrow 126 ) and sliding motion of the printed sheet 12 . At this time, the rear edge 37 of the printed sheet 12 has its entire surface engaging the rear wall 36 .
- the aligning roller 35 advances the printed sheet 12 from the solid line position of FIG. 6, which is the same as the dash line position of FIG. 5, until the side edge 123 of the printed sheet 12 engages the side reference barrier 122 as shown in dash lines in FIG. 6.
- the aligning roller 35 is removed from frictional contact with the printed sheet 12 by the pivotal motion of the housing 46 (see FIG. 7).
- the rear edge 37 of the printed sheet 12 slides along the rear wall 36 with which it is in engagement so as to be in alignment therewith.
- the side edge 123 of the printed sheet 12 is in engagement with the side reference barrier 122 so as to be in alignment therewith.
- alignment of the rear edge 37 with the rear wall 36 or the side edge 123 of the printed sheet 12 with the side reference barrier 122 means that they are in engagement.
- the clamp arm 129 has a support 132 extending from one side thereof and on which a counterweight 133 is retained by a snap fit.
- the force exerted by the counterweight 133 on the clamp arm 129 continuously urges the lower portion 128 (see FIG. 17) downwardly with a predetermined force.
- the side edge 123 (see FIG. 11) of the printed sheet 12 approaches the side reference barrier 122 , it engages the angled side surface 127 (see FIG. 17) of the lower portion 128 of the pivotally mounted clamp arm 129 before it reaches the side reference barrier 122 (see FIG. 11).
- the location of the lower portion 128 is shown in phantom in FIG. 11 relative to the rear wall 36 and the side reference barrier 122 .
- the counterweight 133 (see FIG. 18) provides a force of about seven grams. This force is sufficient to resist curl forces in each of the printed sheets 12 (see FIG. 11) as it moves under the lower portion 128 (see FIG. 17) of the pivotally mounted clamp arm 129 .
- the counterweight 133 (see FIG. 18) is the preferred exerting force, it should be understood that the exerting force could be provided by other suitable means such as a spring 134 (shown in phantom in FIG. 17) extending between a spring anchor 135 on the clamp arm 129 and a spring retaining portion (not shown) on the lever 131 .
- a spring 134 shown in phantom in FIG. 17
- a clamp 136 (see FIG. 17 and shown in phantom in FIG. 11) on an end of a cam follower arm 137 is moved into engagement with the printed sheet 12 (see FIG. 11) to positively clamp the printed sheet 12 against the support surface 15 (see FIG. 17) of the accumulator table 14 .
- the cam follower arm 137 also is pivotally mounted on the pivot pin 130 (see FIG. 16).
- the pivotal movement of the cam follower arm 137 is controlled by a cam 138 to remove the clamp 136 during alignment of each of the printed sheets 12 (see FIG. 11).
- a gear 139 (see FIG. 17) is integral with the cam 138 .
- a stud 140 (see FIG. 16) rotatably supports the cam 138 and the gear 139 .
- the stud 140 is supported on the plate 141 of the gear box 41 .
- the gear 139 is driven by the motor 80 through the gear train.
- the gear train includes a pair of bevel gears 142 and 143 to change the axis of rotation of the gear 139 90° from the axes of rotation of the gears of the portion of the gear train driving the gear 76 .
- one revolution of the cam 138 occurs during each cycle of operation when the gear 76 is driven one revolution.
- the cam follower arm 137 is continuously urged against the cam 138 by a spring 144 (see FIG. 17).
- the spring 144 is attached to the lever 131 and to an extension 146 of the cam follower arm 137 .
- the extension 146 of the cam follower arm 137 extends through a slot 147 in the clamp arm 129 .
- the spring 144 maintains the cam follower arm 137 in contact with the cam 138 .
- This insures that the clamp 136 which extends through a hole 148 (see FIG. 18) in the clamp arm 129 , contacts the printed sheet 12 (see FIG. 11) only after the side edge 123 of the printed sheet 12 has engaged the side reference barrier 122 .
- This clamping arrangement insures that the printed sheets 12 remain in their aligned relationship to which they have been moved.
- the clamp 136 (see FIG. 17) remains in its sheet engaging position until the edge 123 (see FIG. 6) of the next of the sheets 12 approaches the reference barrier 122 .
- the cam 138 (see FIG. 17) lifts the cam follower arm 137 to lift the clamp 136 so that the edge 123 (see FIG. 6) can move against the reference barrier 122 .
- the cam 138 drops the cam follower arm 137 to return the clamp 136 into contact with the printed sheet 12 (see FIG. 6) to clamp it and all of the sheets therebeneath.
- the stapler 150 has a throat 151 through which a staple 152 (see FIG. 28) is pushed upwardly to staple the number of sheets selected in accordance with a microprocessor (not shown) in the finisher 11 (see FIG. 1).
- the printed sheets 12 face downwardly so it is necessary for the staples 152 to be pushed upwardly through the throat 151 (see FIG. 19) to staple the aligned printed sheets 12 (see FIG. 11) to each other to form each group of the stapled printed sheets 12 .
- the staple 152 (see FIG. 19) is in the upper left corner of each of the stapled sheets 12 .
- One suitable example of the electric stapler 150 (see FIG. 19) is sold by Max Co., Ltd., Tokyo, Japan as Model No. EH-320. Any other suitable electric stapler may be employed, if desired.
- a spring 153 (see FIG. 17), which is attached to a hook 153 A on the plate 141 and a hook 153 B on the lever 131 , continuously biases the lever 131 towards the clamp arm 129 .
- a rod 155 (see FIG. 16) has its right end contacting a longitudinal arcuate surface (not shown) of the pivotally mounted lever 131 . When the rod 155 is in the position of FIG. 16, the rod 155 overcomes the force of the spring 153 to prevent the spring 153 from causing the lever 131 to pivot clockwise about the pivot pin 130 .
- the lever 131 has a lifter 156 (see FIG. 17) connected thereto for engaging the clamp arm 129 and the cam follower arm 137 to cause each to pivot clockwise about the pivot pin 130 (see FIG. 16) when the rod 155 drops off an interior cam surface (not shown) of a cam 154 .
- This clockwise pivoting of the clamp arm 129 and the cam follower arm 137 results in the lower portion 128 (see FIG. 17) of the pivotally mounted clamp arm 129 and the clamp 136 on the cam follower arm 137 being raised upwardly away from and out of the path of the printed sheets 12 (see FIG. 11).
- the rod 155 (see FIG. 16) is moved to the left by the gear train in the gear box 41 rotating a gear 155 ′, which is integral with the cam 154 , to change the portion of the interior cam surface of the cam 154 engaging the rod 155 when the lever 131 is to pivot clockwise from the position of FIG. 17 to move the pivotally mounted clamp arm 129 and the clamp 136 on the cam follower arm 137 upwardly out of the path of the printed sheets 12 (see FIG. 11).
- the gear train in the gear box 41 also drives endless belts or bands 157 having pusher tabs 158 thereon.
- the pusher tabs 158 are utilized to push each group of the stapled printed sheets 12 (see FIG. 28) to the inclined output tray 18 after stapling and before the next cycle of operation.
- the belts or bands 157 ride in grooves 159 (see FIG. 17) in the support surface 15 of the accumulator table 14 and in the front portion of the accumulator table 14 .
- the belts or bands 157 (see FIG. 16) and the pivotally mounted lever 131 are only activated after a stapling operation is completed to move each group of the stapled printed sheets 12 (see FIG. 28) to the inclined output tray 18 . If stapling is not occurring and each of the printed sheets 12 is not advanced for alignment, then the belts or bands 157 (see FIG. 16) and the pivotally mounted lever 131 are activated after each of the sheets 12 (see FIG. 2) is ejected onto the accumulator table 14 . This activation of the belts or bands 157 (see FIG. 16) and the pivotally mounted lever 131 is controlled by the microprocessor (not shown) in the finisher 11 (see FIG. 1).
- the inclined output tray 18 (see FIG. 2) has its sheet support surface 165 formed with a cutout recess or depression 166 in its right rear (as viewed from the front) corner.
- a wall 167 (see FIG. 1) of the finisher 11 constitutes a wall of the recess or depression 166 (see FIG. 2) of the inclined output tray 18 .
- each group of the stapled printed sheets 12 is advanced along the sheet support surface 165 (see FIG. 2) of the inclined output tray 18 .
- This advancement positions the stapled portion of each group of the stapled printed sheets 12 with its staple 152 (see FIG. 28) disposed above the recess or depression 166 so that the portion of the printed sheet 12 having the staple falls therein until the recess or depression 166 is filled as shown in FIG. 30.
- the number of the stapled printed sheets 12 in each group of the stapled printed sheets 12 has a significant effect on how quickly the stapled corners of the stapled printed sheets 12 rise above the recess or depression 166 .
- the right rear corner of the stack of the printed sheets 12 rises quicker than if each of the groups of the printed sheets 12 had a larger number of the printed sheets 12 stapled to each other.
- the thickness of the staple 152 is the determining factor in the overall thickness of each stapled group since the thickness of the staple 152 is much greater than the thickness of each of the printed sheets 12 .
- a greater number of the staples 152 is present for the same total number of the printed sheets 12 .
- cutout recess or depression 166 has been shown and described as being formed along two adjacent edges at the right rear corner of the support surface 165 of the inclined output tray 18 , it should be understood that the recess or depression 166 could be formed along only one edge of the sheet surface 165 , if the staple 152 were located at a different position in each of the stapled sheets 12 .
- roller shaft 49 (see FIG. 9) has been shown and described as driven by the helical gears 55 and 65 (see FIG. 7), it should be understood that other gears may be employed. For example, bevel gears may be utilized.
- An advantage of this invention is that it allows a greater number of stapled sheets to be stacked on an inclined output tray of a finisher than previously available. Another advantage of this invention is that the height of the stacked sheets does not reach a level to block feeding as early as in the prior inclined output tray.
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- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
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- Pile Receivers (AREA)
Abstract
An inclined output tray has a cutout depression in its right rear corner to receive the portion of each group of stapled sheets having the staple. The cutout depression increases the capacity of the inclined output tray since it compensates for the staples increasing the overall thickness of the stack.
Description
- U.S. patent application, Ser. No. 09/774,852, filed Jan. 31, 2001, of Michael Kurt Gordon et al for “Finisher With Sheet Placement Control.” U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/793,360, filed Jan. 31, 2001, of Jeffery Allen Ardery et al for “Finisher With Frictional Sheet Mover.” U.S. patent application of Jeffery Allen Ardery et al for “Sheet Beam Breaker,” Ser. No. (unassigned), filed on even date herewith. U.S. patent application of Daniel Mlejnek et la for “Finisher With Single Roller For Frictionally Moving Each Sheet,” Ser. No. (unassigned), filed on even date herewith.
- This invention relates to an output tray for receiving stapled groups of sheets for stacking and, more particularly, to a output tray having a corner area of its sheet support surface formed with a cutout depression to compensate for the thickness of the staples relative to the thickness of the stapled sheets in stacking groups of stapled sheets.
- In the aforesaid application of Jeffery Allen Ardery et al, for “Finisher With Single Roller For Frictionally Moving Each Sheet,” a support surface of an inclined output tray receives each stapled group of sheets. When two sheets, for example, are stapled to each other to form a group of stapled sheets, more staples will exist in a stack of stapled sheets of groups of two stapled sheets than for any greater number of stapled sheets in a group for the same total number of sheets. For example, fifty staples would be present in a stack of 100 sheets when each group has only two sheets stapled to each other while only twenty staples would be present for 100 stacked sheets when each group of the stapled sheets has five sheets stapled to each other. Because a staple is substantially thicker than a sheet of paper and the staples are substantially aligned with each other when stacked on the inclined output tray, the stack of sheets in the right rear (as viewed from the front) corner of the inclined output tray is significantly higher when each group of the stapled sheets is in a range of two to five sheets than when each group of the stacked sheets is greater than five.
- This is because there is a decrease in the number of sheets that can be fed to the inclined output tray before the height of the stack of stapled sheets blocks the fed sheets when there is no compensation for the thickness of the staple in comparison with the thickness of a sheet of paper. As a result, this increased height of the stacked sheets in the right rear corner prevents stapled sheets from being fed to the inclined output tray earlier than if there were no staples in the sheets. Thus, the capacity of the inclined output tray is significantly reduced as the number of staples in the stacked sheets increases.
- The inclined output tray of the present invention has its capacity significantly increased in comparison with the prior inclined output tray when each stapled group contains two sheets, for example. The inclined output tray of the present invention solves this capacity problem by providing a recess or depression in a corner area in which the staples are substantially vertically aligned with each other when each group of the stapled sheets is stacked on top of the other groups.
- Comparison tests have shown an increase of 50% in the capacity of the inclined output tray of the present invention in comparison with the same inclined output tray having no compensation for the relatively large thickness of the staple in comparison with the thickness of a sheet of paper. With five stapled sheets in each group, the comparison test disclosed that the capacity of the inclined output tray of the present invention increased 54.2% relative to the inclined output tray having no compensation for the relatively large thickness of the staples in comparison with the thickness of the sheet of paper.
- As the number of the sheets in each group of stapled sheets increase to ten, there is less increase in the overall height of the stacked stapled sheets in the right rear corner of the inclined output tray. This results in less capacity increase of the inclined output tray of the present invention in comparison with the same inclined output tray without compensation for the staples although there is still an increase until there are more than twenty sheets in each stapled group. At twenty-five sheets in each stapled group, there is no increase in capacity as the tests were conducted in groups of five sheets stapled to each other after the two sheet group.
- Of course, most groups of stapled sheets are usually in the range of 2-5 sheets. Thus, there is a significant increase in capacity of the inclined output tray of the present invention for this range in comparison with the same inclined output tray without the cutout depression in the right rear corner.
- An object of this invention is to provide an output tray having an increased capacity of stapled sheets.
- Another object of this invention is to provide an inclined output tray having an increased capacity of stapled sheets.
- Other objects of this invention will be readily perceived from the following description, claims, and drawings.
- The attached drawings illustrate a preferred embodiment of the invention, in which:
- FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a printer having a finisher disposed thereon.
- FIG. 2 is a right side perspective view of the finisher of FIG. 1 including an aligning roller, an accumulator table receiving sheets falling by gravity for support thereby during advancement by the aligning roller towards two substantially perpendicular reference barriers, and an inclined output tray to which each sheet (shown in phantom) is advanced after being aligned with the two reference barriers by the aligning roller.
- FIG. 3 is a left side perspective view of the finisher of FIG. 2 with left and right bails added thereto.
- FIG. 4 is a schematic top plan view showing a sheet partially supported on the accumulator table after being fed thereto from exit corrugation rollers in solid lines and a dash line position to which the sheet is initially moved by the aligning roller.
- FIG. 5 is a schematic top plan view, similar to FIG. 4, showing advancement of the sheet from the final position of FIG. 4 (solid lines in FIG. 5) and engagement of a rear edge of the sheet with a rear reference barrier in dash lines.
- FIG. 6 is a schematic top plan view, similar to FIGS. 4 and 5, in which the solid line position is the position to which the sheet was advanced in FIG. 5 and the dash line position is at completion of advancement of the sheet with a side edge engaging a side reference barrier.
- FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a sheet aligning assembly of the finisher.
- FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view of the sheet aligning assembly of FIG. 7.
- FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view of a sub-assembly of the sheet aligning assembly of FIG. 8 including a pivotally mounted housing and the aligning roller supported by the pivotally mounted housing.
- FIG. 10 is a rear perspective view of a portion of the finisher of FIG. 7 showing the sheet aligning assembly of FIG. 7 disposed relative to the accumulator table of the finisher.
- FIG. 11 is a fragmentary top plan view of the sheet aligning assembly of FIG. 7 along with a printed sheet in its initial position in dash lines and in its aligned position after completion of sheet advancement by the aligning roller in solid lines.
- FIG. 12 is a fragmentary side elevation view of the aligning roller in its home or rest position in which the aligning roller does not rotate, a portion of the accumulator table on which each printed sheet is supported, and a driving crank.
- FIG. 13 is a fragmentary side elevation view, similar to FIG. 12, of the aligning roller in its frictional contact position with a printed sheet for advancing the printed sheet to its aligned position, the portion of the accumulator table, and the driving crank advanced 180° from its home position of FIG. 12.
- FIG. 14 is a fragmentary side elevation view, similar to FIG. 13, of the aligning roller, the portion of the accumulator table with the aligning roller removed from its sheet contact position in FIG. 13, and the driving crank advanced 90° from its position in FIG. 13 but 90° prior to its position in FIG. 12.
- FIG. 15 is a perspective view of a sub-assembly of the aligning roller and its support.
- FIG. 16 is a front perspective view of a gear box of the finisher including a gear train for driving various portions of the finisher during each cycle of operation.
- FIG. 17 is a perspective view of a clamp arm having a lower portion for receiving each sheet as it is advanced by the aligning roller towards the side reference barrier and a cam follower arm having a clamp for clamping each printed sheet after it is advanced against the side reference barrier.
- FIG. 18 is a bottom plan view of the clamp arm and the cam follower arm of FIG. 17.
- FIG. 19 is a front perspective view of the finisher and showing an electric stapler for stapling aligned stacked sheets.
- FIG. 20 is a top plan view of a portion of the accumulator table and showing the location of the electric stapler relative to each printed sheet at the aligned position.
- FIG. 21 is a perspective view of the bail actuator used in the finisher of the present invention.
- FIG. 22 is a side schematic view of a bail actuator in its rest or home position with a sheet beginning to exit from two sets of exit corrugation rollers.
- FIG. 23 is a side schematic view, similar to FIG. 22, with the bail actuator pivoted 20° from its position of FIG. 22.
- FIG. 24 is a side schematic view, similar to FIGS. 22 and 23, with the bail actuator at its maximum pivoted position prior to the sheet falling by gravity as it leaves the exit corrugation rollers.
- FIG. 25 is a perspective view showing the relation between the left bail and the bail actuator when the bail actuator has pivoted to its position of FIG. 23.
- FIG. 26 is a right side perspective view that is the same as FIG. 2 except that a printed sheet is shown with a longitudinal downwardly facing arch extending the length of the sheet.
- FIG. 27 is a side schematic view that is the same as FIG. 22 except that a printed sheet has a longitudinal downwardly facing arch extending the length of the sheet.
- FIG. 28 is a perspective view of an inclined output tray having a single group of stapled sheets supported thereby with a recess or depression in the right rear corner of the inclined output tray for receiving the corner of the single group of stapled sheets having the staple.
- FIG. 29 is a perspective view of the inclined output tray of FIG. 28 with a plurality of groups of stapled sheets supported thereby.
- FIG. 30 is a perspective view of the inclined output tray of FIGS. 28 and 29 with the inclined output tray full of groups of stapled sheets supported thereby.
- FIG. 31 is a graph comparing the capacity of the inclined output tray of FIG. 28 with its right rear corner having a recess or depression for receiving the stapled corners and the capacity of an inclined output tray with no recess or depression in its right rear corner with different numbers of sheets for each job or group.
- FIG. 32 is a side elevational view of the accumulator table and the inclined output tray with a printed sheet disposed thereon with its upwardly facing arch extending laterally.
- Referring to the drawings and particularly FIG. 1, there is shown a
printer 10 having afinisher 11, which can be detachable from theprinter 10 and is supported thereby. One suitable example of theprinter 10 is a laser printer sold under the trademark OPTRA by the assignee of this application or as modified in the future. - When the
finisher 11 is releasably attached to theprinter 10, printed sheets 12 (see FIG. 2) are fed in sequence from the rear of the printer 10 (see FIG. 1) vertically into the rear of thefinisher 11. This may be in a known manner such as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,810,353 to Baskette et al, for example. - The
finisher 11 includes an accumulator table 14 (see FIG. 2) having anupper support surface 15 to which each of the printedsheets 12 is fed by an upper cooperating set 16 (see FIG. 3) of fourexit corrugation rollers 16A mounted on ashaft 16B and a lower cooperating set 17 of twolarge corrugation rollers 17A and threesmall corrugation rollers 17B mounted on ashaft 17C (see FIG. 2). The axial spacing of the fourexit corrugation rollers 16A (see FIG. 3) on theshaft 16B relative to the twolarge corrugation rollers 17A and the threesmall corrugation rollers 17B of theset 17 is particularly shown and described in the aforesaid Ardery et al application, Ser. No. 09/793,360, which is incorporated by reference herein. - Thus, the
corrugation rollers 16A and thecorrugation rollers sheets 12 are engaged by therollers sheets 12 exits the twosets exit corrugation rollers sheets 12 falls onto theupper support surface 15 of the accumulator table 14 for support thereby or on top of another of the printedsheets 12 already supported by theupper support surface 15 of the accumulator table 14. The printedsheet 12 falls by gravity and the engaging force of a pivot actuator 19 (see FIG. 21) also falling by gravity. - As each of the printed sheets12 (see FIG. 2) falls onto the
upper support surface 15 of the accumulator table 14, most of each of the printedsheets 12 will be supported on aninclined output tray 18. Theinclined output tray 18 is spring mounted to be continuously urged upwardly to maintain the vertical separation between theupper support surface 15 of the accumulator table 14 and thetopmost sheet 12 supported on theinclined output tray 18 as the printedsheets 12 are disposed on it. - The bail actuator19 (see FIG. 21) has a pair of
arcuate extensions shaft 16B (see FIG. 22) of theupper set 16 of theexit corrugation rollers 16A. As each of the printedsheets 12 exits from between the corrugation roller sets 16 and 17, its leadingedge 19C engages aback surface 19D of each of thearcuate extensions shaft 16B. This exerts a force on thebail actuator 19 to cause thebail actuator 19 to move from its rest or home position of FIG. 22 to its position in FIG. 23 through thebail actuator 19 pivoting 20° about the axis of theshaft 16B. - When the
bail actuator 19 is in the position of FIG. 23, acam surface 19E (see FIG. 21) at the bottom of aleg 19F of thebail actuator 19 causes pivotal movement of a left bail 20 (see FIG. 25) through thecam surface 19E engaging a cam surface (not shown) on the bottom surface of abottom portion 20A of anactuation arm 20B of theleft bail 20. Theleft bail 20 is pivotally mounted through twopivot pins 20C being supported in a mountingbracket 20D (see FIG. 3), which is attached to a top cover (not shown) supported on aside frame 20F (one shown in FIG. 1) of thefinisher 11. This is more particularly shown and described in the aforesaid Gordon et al application, Ser. No. 09/779,852, which is incorporated by reference herein. - A right bail21 (see FIG. 3) is similarly pivotally mounted by two
pivot pins 21A being supported in a mountingbracket 21B, which also is attached to the top cover (not shown) supported on the side frame (one shown at 20F in FIG. 1) of thefinisher 11. Theright bail 21 has a cam surface (not shown) on the bottom surface of abottom portion 21C (see FIG. 3) of anactuating arm 21D engaged by a cam surface 22 (see FIG. 21) at the bottom of aleg 23 of thebail actuator 19 for movement at the same time as the left bail 20 (see FIG. 3). Therefore, thebails - The
leading edge 19C (see FIG. 23) of the printedsheet 12 advances from the position of FIG. 23 until thebail actuator 19 reaches its maximum pivoted position of FIG. 24. Theleading edge 19C (see FIG. 22) of the printedsheet 12 rode along theback surface 19D of each of thearcuate extensions 19A (see FIG. 21) and 19B until it reached amain portion 25 of thebail actuator 19. Thereafter, theleading edge 19C (see FIG. 23) of the printedsheet 12 rode along aback surface 26 of asheet engaging member 27, which extends downwardly from the main portion 25 (see FIG. 21) of thebail actuator 19. - After reaching the position of FIG. 24 and rear edge37 (see FIG. 4) of each of the printed
sheets 12 exits thecorrugation rollers 16A (see FIG. 2), 17A and 17B, the bail actuator 19 (see FIG. 24) begins to fall by gravity to cause pivoting of thebail actuator 19 about the axis of theshaft 16B so that the printedsheet 12 is removed from support by the bails 20 (see FIG. 3) and 21. This results in thebails - The sheet engaging member27 (see FIG. 24) of the
bail actuator 19 pushes downwardly on the printedsheet 12. This causes the printedsheet 12 to fall by gravity to theupper support surface 15 of the accumulator table 14 and the inclined output tray 18 (see FIG. 2). - As the bail actuator19 (see FIG. 24) falls downwardly by gravity, a
wire bail 28 engages the printedsheet 12. As shown in FIG. 21, thewire bail 28 includes ahorizontal front portion 28A having a curvedhorizontal portion 28B at each end connected to an angledhorizontal portion 28C. Each of the angledhorizontal portions 28C is connected by a curvedhorizontal portion 28D to a rearhorizontal portion 28E. Each of the rearhorizontal portions 28E terminates in avertical end portion 28F extending upwardly therefrom. - Each of the
vertical end portions 28F is disposed in aretainer 29 mounted on each of thelegs bail actuator 19. This prevents horizontal movement of thewire bail 28. - The rear
horizontal portion 28E has a snap fit in agroove 30 in anextension 31 of each of thelegs bail actuator 19 to prevent downward movement of thewire bail 28. The rearhorizontal portion 28E also has a snap fit in agroove 32 in aretainer 33 on theextension 31 of each of thelegs bail actuator 19 to prevent upward movement of thewire bail 28. - The
horizontal front portion 28A of thewire bail 28 preferably has a length of about five inches. It is desired that thehorizontal front portion 28A of thewire bail 28 extend as wide as possible. - The
horizontal front portion 28A of thewire bail 28 breaks any longitudinal beam created in the printed sheet 12 (see FIG. 24) because of a curl created in the printedsheet 12 by a fuser (not shown) of the printer 10 (see FIG. 1), for example. This occurs after the printed sheet 12 (see FIG. 24) falls by gravity and is supported on theupper support surface 15 of the accumulator table 14. - This is because the fuser (not shown) of the
printer 10 creates a longitudinally extending curl in the printedsheet 12 to form the beam or arch along the entire length of the printedsheet 12 with a downwardly facing arch. Thehorizontal front portion 28A (see FIG. 21) of thewire bail 28 breaks the longitudinal beam, if it exists, in the printed sheet 12 (see FIG. 24) after it is supported on theupper support surface 15 of the accumulator table 14. Thehorizontal front portion 28A (see FIG. 21) of thewire bail 28 creates a beam in the direction of the width of the printed sheet 12 (see FIG. 24) with a desired upwardly facing arch configuration. This upwardly facing arch of the printedsheet 12 increases the beam strength of each of the printedsheets 12 in the direction of alignment in which each of the printedsheets 12 is moved. - The downwardly facing arch in the printed
sheet 12 is shown in FIG. 26 at 34 and is larger than shown. It also is shown in FIG. 27. FIG. 26 also shows the printedsheet 12 not falling by gravity in the desired shape because of the longitudinal beam in the printedsheet 12. - When each of the printed sheets12 (see FIG. 2) falls by gravity onto the
upper support surface 15 of the accumulator table 14, an aligningroller 35 must be maintained in an elevated position, which is its home position of FIG. 12, to enable the printed sheet 12 (see FIG. 2) to fall by gravity onto the accumulator table 14. The aligningroller 35 is shown in FIG. 2 in its frictional contact position with the printedsheet 12 to be advanced by the aligningroller 35. - The accumulator table14 includes a
rear wall 36, which is substantially perpendicular to theupper support surface 15. Therear wall 36 functions as a rear reference barrier for engagement by the rear edge 37 (see FIG. 4) of each of the printedsheets 12. - The
rear edge 37 of the printedsheet 12 must be within 10 mm. of the rear wall 36 (see FIG. 2) of the accumulator table 14. There is preferably only 4 mm. between the rear edge 37 (see FIG. 4) of the printedsheet 12 and therear wall 36 of the accumulator table 14 (see FIG. 2). If the spacing is greater than 10 mm., the aligningroller 35 cannot advance the printedsheet 12 in the manner shown in FIGS. 4-6. - The aligning
roller 35 is supported by a sheet aligning assembly 38 (see FIG. 7) for movement from its home position, which is shown in FIG. 12, to its frictional contact position, which is shown in FIG. 13, for engagement with each of the printed sheets 12 (see FIG. 4) and then returned to its home position. The sheet aligning assembly 38 (see FIG. 10) includes aframe 39, which is supported by walls 40 (see FIG. 16) and 40′ of agear box 41. - As shown in FIG. 7, the
frame 39 has amain shaft 42 rotatably supported in itsend walls frame 39 has anintermediate wall 45 between theend walls - A
housing 46 is mounted on themain shaft 42 for pivotal movement in both directions about the axis of themain shaft 42. The pivotally mountedhousing 46 includes a cylindrical portion 47 (see FIG. 9) having acircular passage 48 extending therethrough. - A
roller shaft 49 is rotatably supported in thecircular passage 48 of thecylindrical portion 47 of the pivotally mountedhousing 46. Theroller shaft 49 has the aligningroller 35 retained on itsenlarged end 50 by aresilient finger 51 disposed in aslot 52 in ahub 52′ of the aligningroller 35 and engaging thehub 52′. This connection causes rotation of the aligningroller 35 only when theroller shaft 49 is rotated. - The
roller shaft 49 has itsother end 53 extending beyond thecylindrical portion 47 of thehousing 46 to support ahelical gear 55. Thehelical gear 55 is held on the roller shaft 49 (see FIG. 11) by a C-clip 56 disposed in a groove 57 (see FIG. 9) in theroller shaft 49. - The
roller shaft 49 hasflat side portions flat side portions circular passage 62 extending through thehelical gear 55 engage. Accordingly, when thehelical gear 55 is rotated, theroller shaft 49 rotates to rotate the aligningroller 35. Each side of thehelical gear 55 has a boss 64 (one shown in FIG. 9) extending slightly beyond the remainder of each side of thehelical gear 55. - The
helical gear 55 meshes with a helical gear 65 (see FIG. 7). Thehelical gear 65 is mounted on themain shaft 42 to be driven thereby. Thehelical gear 65 rotates with themain shaft 42 through flat side portions (one shown at 66 in FIGS. 7 and 8) on themain shaft 42 engaging cooperating flat side portions (not shown) of a circular passage 67 (see FIG. 8) in thehelical gear 65. Each side of thehelical gear 65 has a boss 68 (one shown in FIG. 8) extending slightly beyond the remainder of thehelical gear 65. - A C-
clip 69 is disposed in agroove 70 in themain shaft 42 to position thehelical gear 65 on themain shaft 42 through limiting its axial movement to the left in FIG. 7. This insures that the teeth of thehelical gear 65 and the teeth of thehelical gear 55 will always mesh. - The pivotally mounted housing46 (see FIG. 9) has a
circular passage 71 to receive the main shaft 42 (see FIG. 7). This mounts thehousing 46 on themain shaft 42 so that it may pivot in either direction on themain shaft 42. - The pivotally mounted
housing 46 is disposed next to thehelical gear 65 but slightly spaced therefrom because of the boss 68 (see FIG. 8) on thehelical gear 65 engaging the adjacent side of the pivotally mounted housing 46 (see FIG. 7). A C-clip 72 (see FIG. 8) is disposed in agroove 72′ in themain shaft 42 to hold the pivotally mounted housing 46 (see FIG. 7) on themain shaft 42 by limiting its axial movement to the right. Thus, thehousing 46 is pivotally mounted on themain shaft 42 so that it can pivot relative to themain shaft 42 in either a clockwise or counterclockwise direction as themain shaft 42 is rotated in only one direction. - A C-clip73 (see FIG. 8) is disposed in a
groove 74 in themain shaft 42. The C-clip 73 engages the left (as viewed in FIG. 7) side of theintermediate wall 45 of theframe 39 to prevent movement of themain shaft 42 to the right. - The
main shaft 42 is driven by a gear 76 (see FIGS. 10, 11, and 16) having its teeth mesh with teeth on a gear 77 (see FIG. 16) of a gear train in thegear box 41 of the finisher 11 (see FIG. 1). When an electromagnet 78 (see FIG. 16) of a clutch 79 is energized, aDC motor 80 causes rotation of thegear 76. This drives themain shaft 42 at a predetermined velocity during each cycle of operation. - A hollow projecting guide81 (see FIG. 8) on the
end wall 44 of theframe 39 is disposed within a corresponding shaped opening (not shown) in the wall 40 (see FIG. 16) of thegear box 41. This alignment insures that thegears - The gear76 (see FIG. 10) is mounted on a flattened end 82 (see FIG. 7) of a
drive shaft 83 extending through the hollow projectingguide 81 on the exterior of theend wall 44 of theframe 39. Thedrive shaft 83 extends through the opening (not shown) in the wall 40 (see FIG. 16) of thegear box 41 to insure that thegear 76 is disposed within thegear box 41. - As shown in FIG. 7, the
drive shaft 83 extends through a passage in the hollow projectingguide 81. Thedrive shaft 83 is rotatably supported in each of theend wall 44 and theintermediate wall 45 of theframe 39. - A drive gear86 (see FIG. 8) is attached to the
drive shaft 83. Thedrive gear 86 meshes with anidler gear 87. - The
idler gear 87 is rotatably supported on astub shaft 88, which extends through anopening 89 in theend wall 44 of theframe 39 to receive theidler gear 87. Theidler gear 87 meshes with asmaller gear 90 of acompound gear 91. - The
compound gear 91 is rotatably mounted on themain shaft 42. Thecompound gear 91 has itslarger gear 92 mesh with asmaller gear 93 of acompound gear 94, which is rotatably mounted on thedrive shaft 83. - The
compound gear 94 has itslarger gear 95 mesh with adrive gear 96, which is attached to themain shaft 42 for causing rotation thereof. Flat side portions 97 (one shown in FIG. 8) of themain shaft 42 cooperate with flat side portions (not shown) in acircular passage 98 in thedrive gear 96. - The drive shaft83 (see FIG. 8) has a
crank 100 attached thereto through thedrive shaft 83 being disposed in ahole 101 in thecrank 100. Thehole 101 is smaller at its end remote from theintermediate wall 45 of thehousing 39 so that anend 102 of thedrive shaft 83 engages this reduced portion of thehole 101 to have fixed engagement therewith. - The direct connection of the
crank 100 to thedrive shaft 83 results in thecrank 100 rotating at a much slower velocity than themain shaft 42. Themain shaft 42 makes approximately 3.75 revolutions per cycle of operation of thedrive shaft 83, and the connectedcrank 100 rotates only one revolution per cycle of operation since thedrive shaft 83 makes only one revolution per cycle of operation. - The
crank 100 has apin 105 formed integral therewith and extending through alongitudinal slot 106 in alink 107. A C-clip 108 is disposed in agroove 109 in thepin 105 of thecrank 100 to maintain thepin 105 in sliding relation with thelink slot 106. Thelink 107 has acircular passage 110 extending therethrough to receive a connecting pin 111 (see FIG. 9) extending through the circular passage 110 (see FIG. 8) into a circular passage 112 (see FIG. 9) in thehousing 46 with which the connectingpin 111 has a press fit. - Rotation of the crank100 (see FIG. 8) by the
drive shaft 83 imparts pivotal motion to the housing 46 (see FIG. 7) during each cycle of operation. Aspring 115 extends between aspring anchor 116 on thehousing 46 and a portion (not shown) of the gear box 41 (see FIG. 16). This results in the spring 115 (see FIG. 7) continuously exerting a force on the pivotally mountedhousing 46 so that a force is continuously exerted on the aligningroller 35 when it is in contact with the sheet 12 (see FIG. 11). - Thus, the spring115 (see FIG. 7) continuously urges the pivotally mounted
housing 46 away from the home position, as shown in FIG. 12, of the aligningroller 35 supported thereby. As a result, the force of the spring 115 (see FIG. 7) continuously causes the aligningroller 35 to exert a maximum normal force of a predetermined amount such as 50-60 grams, for example, on each of the printed sheets 12 (see FIG. 4) when the aligning roller 35 (see FIG. 7) comes in frictional contact therewith. This frictional contact position of the aligningroller 35 is shown in FIG. 13. - While the spring115 (see FIG. 7) is the preferred force exerting means on the aligning
roller 35, it should be understood that other suitable force exerting means such as a counterweight, for example may be employed, if desired. While the crank 100 (see FIG. 8) is preferred, it should be understood that a cam and a cam follower may be employed for controlling pivotal movement of thehousing 46, if desired. - The housing46 (see FIG. 9) also supports a
deflector 120 for deflecting each of the printed sheets 12 (see FIG. 2) as each of the printedsheets 12 is aligned on the support surface 15 (see FIG. 2) of the accumulator table 14. This prevents each of the printed sheets 12 (see FIG. 11) from buckling upwardly when itsside edge 123 engages an adjacentside reference barrier 122. - Additionally, a tongue121 (see FIG. 9), which is preferably a polyester film sold under the trademark MYLAR, is adhered to the bottom of the
deflector 120 by a suitable adhesive. Thetongue 121, which preferably has a thickness of 0.004″, rides on each of the printed sheets 12 (see FIG. 2) to prevent the printedsheet 12 from riding up therear wall 36 of the accumulator table 14 during alignment. - The deflector120 (see FIG. 9) has a
slot 120A to receive aprojection 120B on thehousing 46 to prevent rotation of thedeflector 120. Aflange 120C on thedeflector 120 engages the end of thehousing 46 to limit movement of thedeflector 120 onto thehousing 46. Aflange 120D on the connectingpin 111 engages theflange 120C on thedeflector 120 when the connectingpin 111 has a press fit in the connectingpin 111. - The teeth of each of the helical gear55 (see FIG. 7) and the
helical gear 65 preferably have the same angle. However, there may be a slight difference between the angles of the teeth of thehelical gear 55 and thehelical gear 65, if desired. - The sum of the angles of the teeth of the
helical gear 55 and thehelical gear 65 is equal to the angle of the aligningroller 35 relative to the side reference barrier 122 (see FIG. 11). The spacing between theside reference barrier 122 and theadjacent side edge 123 of the printedsheet 12 is typically 25 mm. and a maximum of 33 mm. for 8½×11 paper and typically 33 mm. and a maximum of 39 mm. for A4 paper. - With each of the helical gear55 (see FIG. 7) and the
helical gear 65 having their teeth at an angle of 33°, the sum of the angles is 66°. This also is the angle of the aligningroller 35 to the side reference barrier 122 (see FIG. 11) so that the angle of the aligning roller 35 (see FIG. 2) to therear wall 36 of the accumulator table 14 is 24°. - While the angle of 66° is preferred, it should be understood that an angle in the range of 60° and 70° between the aligning roller35 (see FIG. 11) and the
side reference barrier 122 is satisfactory and other angles also could be employed, if desired. Furthermore, it should be understood that any angle greater than 45° of the aligningroller 35 with respect to theside reference barrier 122 will cause a greater force to be exerted on each of the printedsheets 12 to move it more towards theside reference barrier 122 than towards therear wall 36. - As shown in FIG. 4, the aligning
roller 35 initially rotates the printedsheet 12 clockwise from the solid line position until itscorner 124 engages therear wall 36 as shown in dash lines in FIG. 4 and in solid lines in FIG. 5. The clockwise rotation is indicated by anarrow 125. - The aligning
roller 35 next advances the printedsheet 12 from the solid line position of FIG. 5 to the dash line position. This includes both counterclockwise rotation (as indicated by an arrow 126) and sliding motion of the printedsheet 12. At this time, therear edge 37 of the printedsheet 12 has its entire surface engaging therear wall 36. - Then, the aligning
roller 35 advances the printedsheet 12 from the solid line position of FIG. 6, which is the same as the dash line position of FIG. 5, until theside edge 123 of the printedsheet 12 engages theside reference barrier 122 as shown in dash lines in FIG. 6. At this time, the aligningroller 35 is removed from frictional contact with the printedsheet 12 by the pivotal motion of the housing 46 (see FIG. 7). During motion of the printed sheet 12 (see FIG. 6) only towards theside reference barrier 122, therear edge 37 of the printedsheet 12 slides along therear wall 36 with which it is in engagement so as to be in alignment therewith. - In FIG. 6, the
side edge 123 of the printedsheet 12 is in engagement with theside reference barrier 122 so as to be in alignment therewith. As used in the claims, the term “alignment” of therear edge 37 with therear wall 36 or theside edge 123 of the printedsheet 12 with theside reference barrier 122 means that they are in engagement. - As the
side edge 123 of the printedsheet 12 approaches theside reference barrier 122, it engages an angled side surface 127 (see FIG. 17) of alower portion 128 of a pivotally mountedclamp arm 129. Theclamp arm 129 is pivotally mounted on a pin 130 (see FIG. 16), which is fixed to aplate 141. Alever 131 also is pivotally mounted on theplate 141 of thegear box 41. - As shown in FIG. 18, the
clamp arm 129 has asupport 132 extending from one side thereof and on which acounterweight 133 is retained by a snap fit. The force exerted by thecounterweight 133 on theclamp arm 129 continuously urges the lower portion 128 (see FIG. 17) downwardly with a predetermined force. When the side edge 123 (see FIG. 11) of the printedsheet 12 approaches theside reference barrier 122, it engages the angled side surface 127 (see FIG. 17) of thelower portion 128 of the pivotally mountedclamp arm 129 before it reaches the side reference barrier 122 (see FIG. 11). The location of thelower portion 128 is shown in phantom in FIG. 11 relative to therear wall 36 and theside reference barrier 122. - The counterweight133 (see FIG. 18) provides a force of about seven grams. This force is sufficient to resist curl forces in each of the printed sheets 12 (see FIG. 11) as it moves under the lower portion 128 (see FIG. 17) of the pivotally mounted
clamp arm 129. - While the counterweight133 (see FIG. 18) is the preferred exerting force, it should be understood that the exerting force could be provided by other suitable means such as a spring 134 (shown in phantom in FIG. 17) extending between a
spring anchor 135 on theclamp arm 129 and a spring retaining portion (not shown) on thelever 131. - As the side edge123 (see FIG. 11) of the printed
sheet 12 engages theside reference barrier 122, a clamp 136 (see FIG. 17 and shown in phantom in FIG. 11) on an end of acam follower arm 137 is moved into engagement with the printed sheet 12 (see FIG. 11) to positively clamp the printedsheet 12 against the support surface 15 (see FIG. 17) of the accumulator table 14. Thecam follower arm 137 also is pivotally mounted on the pivot pin 130 (see FIG. 16). - The pivotal movement of the cam follower arm137 (see FIG. 17) is controlled by a
cam 138 to remove theclamp 136 during alignment of each of the printed sheets 12 (see FIG. 11). A gear 139 (see FIG. 17) is integral with thecam 138. A stud 140 (see FIG. 16) rotatably supports thecam 138 and thegear 139. Thestud 140 is supported on theplate 141 of thegear box 41. - The
gear 139 is driven by themotor 80 through the gear train. The gear train includes a pair ofbevel gears gear 139 90° from the axes of rotation of the gears of the portion of the gear train driving thegear 76. Thus, one revolution of thecam 138 occurs during each cycle of operation when thegear 76 is driven one revolution. - The
cam follower arm 137 is continuously urged against thecam 138 by a spring 144 (see FIG. 17). Thespring 144 is attached to thelever 131 and to anextension 146 of thecam follower arm 137. - As shown in FIG. 18, the
extension 146 of thecam follower arm 137 extends through aslot 147 in theclamp arm 129. The spring 144 (see FIG. 17) maintains thecam follower arm 137 in contact with thecam 138. This insures that theclamp 136, which extends through a hole 148 (see FIG. 18) in theclamp arm 129, contacts the printed sheet 12 (see FIG. 11) only after theside edge 123 of the printedsheet 12 has engaged theside reference barrier 122. This clamping arrangement insures that the printedsheets 12 remain in their aligned relationship to which they have been moved. - The clamp136 (see FIG. 17) remains in its sheet engaging position until the edge 123 (see FIG. 6) of the next of the
sheets 12 approaches thereference barrier 122. When this occurs, the cam 138 (see FIG. 17) lifts thecam follower arm 137 to lift theclamp 136 so that the edge 123 (see FIG. 6) can move against thereference barrier 122. After theedge 123 of thesheet 12 has engaged thereference barrier 122, the cam 138 (see FIG. 17) drops thecam follower arm 137 to return theclamp 136 into contact with the printed sheet 12 (see FIG. 6) to clamp it and all of the sheets therebeneath. - This cycle continues until the number of the printed
sheets 12 to be stapled together is accumulated. Then, an electric stapler 150 (see FIG. 19) is energized. - The
stapler 150 has athroat 151 through which a staple 152 (see FIG. 28) is pushed upwardly to staple the number of sheets selected in accordance with a microprocessor (not shown) in the finisher 11 (see FIG. 1). The printed sheets 12 (see FIG. 28) face downwardly so it is necessary for thestaples 152 to be pushed upwardly through the throat 151 (see FIG. 19) to staple the aligned printed sheets 12 (see FIG. 11) to each other to form each group of the stapled printedsheets 12. It should be understood that the staple 152 (see FIG. 19) is in the upper left corner of each of the stapledsheets 12. - One suitable example of the electric stapler150 (see FIG. 19) is sold by Max Co., Ltd., Tokyo, Japan as Model No. EH-320. Any other suitable electric stapler may be employed, if desired.
- After each group of the printed sheets12 (see FIG. 20) has been stapled together by the
stapler 150, the lower portion 128 (see FIG. 17) of the pivotally mountedclamp arm 129 and theclamp 136 on thecam follower arm 137 must be moved out of the path of the printed sheets 12 (see FIG. 11). This allows each group of the printedsheets 12 to be removed from any support by the upper support surface 15 (see FIG. 2) of the accumulator table 14 and advanced to the rearwardlyinclined output tray 18 for complete support thereby. This occurs before the start of the next cycle of operation. - A spring153 (see FIG. 17), which is attached to a
hook 153A on theplate 141 and ahook 153B on thelever 131, continuously biases thelever 131 towards theclamp arm 129. A rod 155 (see FIG. 16) has its right end contacting a longitudinal arcuate surface (not shown) of the pivotally mountedlever 131. When therod 155 is in the position of FIG. 16, therod 155 overcomes the force of thespring 153 to prevent thespring 153 from causing thelever 131 to pivot clockwise about thepivot pin 130. - The
lever 131 has a lifter 156 (see FIG. 17) connected thereto for engaging theclamp arm 129 and thecam follower arm 137 to cause each to pivot clockwise about the pivot pin 130 (see FIG. 16) when therod 155 drops off an interior cam surface (not shown) of acam 154. This clockwise pivoting of theclamp arm 129 and thecam follower arm 137 results in the lower portion 128 (see FIG. 17) of the pivotally mountedclamp arm 129 and theclamp 136 on thecam follower arm 137 being raised upwardly away from and out of the path of the printed sheets 12 (see FIG. 11). - The rod155 (see FIG. 16) is moved to the left by the gear train in the
gear box 41 rotating agear 155′, which is integral with thecam 154, to change the portion of the interior cam surface of thecam 154 engaging therod 155 when thelever 131 is to pivot clockwise from the position of FIG. 17 to move the pivotally mountedclamp arm 129 and theclamp 136 on thecam follower arm 137 upwardly out of the path of the printed sheets 12 (see FIG. 11). - When the lower portion128 (see FIG. 17) of the
clamp arm 129 and theclamp 136 on thecam follower arm 137 are to be reset so as to again engage the next printed sheet 12 (see FIG. 11) as it is aligned, the gear train in the gear box 41 (see FIG. 16) further rotates thegear 155′ to change the portion of the interior cam surface (not shown) of thecam 154 engaging therod 155. This returns therod 155 to the position in FIG. 16 in which it contacts the pivotally mountedlever 131 to hold it against the force of thespring 153. - The gear train in the
gear box 41 also drives endless belts orbands 157 havingpusher tabs 158 thereon. Thepusher tabs 158 are utilized to push each group of the stapled printed sheets 12 (see FIG. 28) to theinclined output tray 18 after stapling and before the next cycle of operation. The belts orbands 157 ride in grooves 159 (see FIG. 17) in thesupport surface 15 of the accumulator table 14 and in the front portion of the accumulator table 14. - It should be understood that the belts or bands157 (see FIG. 16) and the pivotally mounted
lever 131 are only activated after a stapling operation is completed to move each group of the stapled printed sheets 12 (see FIG. 28) to theinclined output tray 18. If stapling is not occurring and each of the printedsheets 12 is not advanced for alignment, then the belts or bands 157 (see FIG. 16) and the pivotally mountedlever 131 are activated after each of the sheets 12 (see FIG. 2) is ejected onto the accumulator table 14. This activation of the belts or bands 157 (see FIG. 16) and the pivotally mountedlever 131 is controlled by the microprocessor (not shown) in the finisher 11 (see FIG. 1). - The inclined output tray18 (see FIG. 2) has its
sheet support surface 165 formed with a cutout recess ordepression 166 in its right rear (as viewed from the front) corner. A wall 167 (see FIG. 1) of thefinisher 11 constitutes a wall of the recess or depression 166 (see FIG. 2) of theinclined output tray 18. - Accordingly, after the stapled printed
sheets 12 are stapled by the electric stapler 150 (see FIG. 20), each group of the stapled printedsheets 12 is advanced along the sheet support surface 165 (see FIG. 2) of theinclined output tray 18. This advancement positions the stapled portion of each group of the stapled printedsheets 12 with its staple 152 (see FIG. 28) disposed above the recess ordepression 166 so that the portion of the printedsheet 12 having the staple falls therein until the recess ordepression 166 is filled as shown in FIG. 30. - As the number of the groups of the stapled printed
sheets 12 increases as shown in FIGS. 29 and 30, a larger number of the groups of the stapled printedsheets 12 can be disposed on thesheet support surface 165 of theinclined output tray 18 than in the prior inclined output tray, which did not have the recess ordepression 166. The recess ordepression 166 prevents thestaples 152 from increasing the overall height of the right rear corner of the groups of the stapled printedsheets 12 as quickly to limit the capacity of theinclined output tray 18. - Thus, as shown in FIG. 30, it takes a relatively large number of the groups of the stapled
sheets 12 before the stack in the right rear corner rises higher than the left rear corner. That is, the right rear corner becomes higher than the left rear corner only when the relatively large number of the groups of the stapled printedsheets 12 are stacked as shown in FIG. 30; this is when theinclined output tray 18 is full as indicated by a sensor (not shown). - It should be understood that the number of the stapled printed
sheets 12 in each group of the stapled printedsheets 12 has a significant effect on how quickly the stapled corners of the stapled printedsheets 12 rise above the recess ordepression 166. For example, when there are only two of the printedsheets 12 stapled to each other, the right rear corner of the stack of the printedsheets 12 rises quicker than if each of the groups of the printedsheets 12 had a larger number of the printedsheets 12 stapled to each other. This is because the thickness of thestaple 152 is the determining factor in the overall thickness of each stapled group since the thickness of thestaple 152 is much greater than the thickness of each of the printedsheets 12. With only two of the printedsheets 12 stapled together, a greater number of thestaples 152 is present for the same total number of the printedsheets 12. - The relation of the capacity of the
inclined output tray 18 having the recess ordepression 166 and the capacity of theinclined output tray 18 without the recess ordepression 166 is shown bygraph lines Tray 18Capacity Sheets/Job with recess 160 Tray 18 without recess 160increase (%) 2 126 84 50.0 5 370 240 54.2 10 580 510 13.7 15 660 615 7.3 20 720 700 2.9 25 750 750 0.0. - While the cutout recess or depression166 (see FIG. 29) has been shown and described as being formed along two adjacent edges at the right rear corner of the
support surface 165 of theinclined output tray 18, it should be understood that the recess ordepression 166 could be formed along only one edge of thesheet surface 165, if the staple 152 were located at a different position in each of the stapledsheets 12. - While the roller shaft49 (see FIG. 9) has been shown and described as driven by the helical gears 55 and 65 (see FIG. 7), it should be understood that other gears may be employed. For example, bevel gears may be utilized.
- An advantage of this invention is that it allows a greater number of stapled sheets to be stacked on an inclined output tray of a finisher than previously available. Another advantage of this invention is that the height of the stacked sheets does not reach a level to block feeding as early as in the prior inclined output tray.
- For purposes of exemplification, a preferred embodiment of the invention have been shown and described according to the best present understanding thereof. However, it will be apparent that changes and modifications in the arrangement and construction of the parts thereof may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
Claims (8)
1. An output tray having a support surface for receiving groups of stapled sheets from a source;
and said support surface having a recess extending along at least a portion of one of its edges in which each group of stapled sheets has at least one staple for each group of stapled sheets disposed at a location to be received in said recess when each group of stapled sheets is received by said support surface.
2. The output tray according to claim 1 in which said support surface has a recess extending along a portion of each two adjacent edges defining a corner in which each group of stapled sheets has its only staple disposed.
3. The output tray according to claim 2 in which the source of the stapled sheets is a finisher.
4. The output tray according to claim 1 in which the source of the stapled sheets is a finisher.
5. An inclined output tray having a support surface for receiving groups of stapled sheets from a source;
and said support surface having a recess extending along at least a portion of one of its edges in which each group of stapled sheets has at least one staple for each group of stapled sheets disposed at a location to be received in said recess when each group of stapled sheets is received by said support surface.
6. The inclined output tray according to claim 5 in which said support surface has a recess extending along a portion of each two adjacent edges defining a corner in which each group of stapled sheets has its only staple disposed.
7. The inclined output tray according to claim 6 in which the source of the stapled sheets is a finisher.
8. The inclined output tray according to claim 5 in which the source of the stapled sheets is a finisher.
Priority Applications (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US09/822,614 US20020175460A1 (en) | 2001-03-30 | 2001-03-30 | Output tray having an increased capacity for stapled |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US09/822,614 US20020175460A1 (en) | 2001-03-30 | 2001-03-30 | Output tray having an increased capacity for stapled |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
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US20020175460A1 true US20020175460A1 (en) | 2002-11-28 |
Family
ID=25236509
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US09/822,614 Abandoned US20020175460A1 (en) | 2001-03-30 | 2001-03-30 | Output tray having an increased capacity for stapled |
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Country | Link |
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US (1) | US20020175460A1 (en) |
Cited By (2)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
WO2005075329A1 (en) * | 2004-02-06 | 2005-08-18 | Eastman Kodak Company | Tray for a printing machine |
WO2017180152A1 (en) * | 2016-04-15 | 2017-10-19 | Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. | Bail arm to rotate and oscillate |
-
2001
- 2001-03-30 US US09/822,614 patent/US20020175460A1/en not_active Abandoned
Cited By (4)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
WO2005075329A1 (en) * | 2004-02-06 | 2005-08-18 | Eastman Kodak Company | Tray for a printing machine |
DE102004005847B4 (en) * | 2004-02-06 | 2009-05-07 | Eastman Kodak Co. | Tray for a printing press |
WO2017180152A1 (en) * | 2016-04-15 | 2017-10-19 | Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. | Bail arm to rotate and oscillate |
US10501275B2 (en) | 2016-04-15 | 2019-12-10 | Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. | Bail arm to rotate and oscillate |
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Owner name: LEXMARK INTERNATIONAL, INC., KENTUCKY Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNOR:WADE, THOMAS CAMPBELL;REEL/FRAME:011732/0910 Effective date: 20010330 |
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STCB | Information on status: application discontinuation |
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