Patent ID: 6341934
Filing Date: 2002-01-29
Classification: B65H

Abstract:
A collating apparatus comprising:a plurality of paper feed trays; a paper feed section for conveying a plurality of sheets stacked on the plurality of paper feed trays one by one at predetermined timing; a collating and conveying section for collating the plurality of sheets conveyed from the respective paper feed trays of the paper feed section to provide collated matters and for conveying the collated matters to a discharge section; the discharge section for discharging the collated matters conveyed from the collating and conveying section to a stacker section; and the stacker section provided with a paper discharge tray for stacking the collated matters conveyed from the discharge section, provided with a pair of side fences positioned at both outer sides of the collated matters discharged onto the paper discharge tray and restricting an orthogonal direction to a discharge direction of the collated matters, and having sorting means for alternately offsetting the collated matters sequentially discharged from said discharge section to the orthogonal direction to the discharge direction and for stacking the collated matters on said paper discharge tray, wherein said sorting means has a paper discharge wing, displaced between a wait position at which the paper discharge wing does not interfere with the collated matters discharged from said discharge section and an interference position at which the paper discharge wing interferes with the collated matters discharged from said discharge section to offset the discharge direction of the collated matters to almost the orthogonal direction to the discharge direction, and moves the paper discharge wing between the wait position and the interference position alternately in accordance with discharge timing at which the collated matters are discharged from said discharge section, thereby sorting the collated matters.