Patent ID: 6776404
Filing Date: 2004-08-17
Classification: B65H

Abstract:
An improved finishing device for sets of sheets received from a document creating apparatus, comprising:a sheet transport assembly for receiving and transporting sheets along a sheet processing direction; a sheet guiding and buffering mechanism comprising two retractable arms, said arms being positioned adjacent each other at a location to receive sheets from the transport assembly said arms being retracted in a direction away from and towards each other, said arms being located below and substantially parallel to said transport, each of the arms having a coplanar surface confronting said transport assembly; means for retracting and returning said arms along a path parallel to said transport assembly and perpendicular to said sheet processing direction, whereby said arms vertically drop the sheets therefrom when the arms are retracted; a compiling and finishing platform for receiving the sheets dropped from the arms one on top of the other to form a stacked set of sheets, said platform having means to finish and eject the set of sheets stacked thereon; and said arms being retracted to deliver each sheet of a set of sheets individually to the compiling and finishing platform, once the last sheet of a set of sheets is delivered to the compiling and finishing platform, said arms remain in the location to receive sheets from the transport assembly to collect the first few of the sheets of the next incoming set of sheets, thereby providing a buffering cycle to enable time for the previous set of sheets to be finished and ejected to a collection tray, said arms being retracted to drop the accumulated sheets of the subsequent set of sheets onto said platform as soon as the previous set of sheets is finished.