Patent ID: 6427997
Filing Date: 2002-08-06
Classification: B42C,B65H

Abstract:
A sheet finishing apparatus comprising:a sheet passage; a conveyor to convey a sheet along the sheet passage; an intermediate stacker on which the sheet conveyed along the sheet passage is placed so that a bundle of sheets is formed on the intermediate stacker; a finisher to conduct a finishing process for the bundle of sheets formed on the intermediate stacker; a sheet delivering section to which the bundle of sheets is delivered; and a sheet delivering device to true up edges of the bundle of sheets on the intermediate stacker before the finisher conducts the finishing process and to deliver the bundle of sheets from the intermediate stacker to the sheet delivering section after the finisher has conducted the finishing process; wherein the sheet delivering device comprises: (i) a pair of rollers capable of selectively rotating in one of a regular direction and a reverse direction, and (ii) an actuator to bring the pair of rollers in contact with each other or to separate the pair of rollers; and wherein: (i) when the sheet is placed on the intermediate stacker, the pair of rollers rotate in the regular direction and the actuator separates the pair of rollers, (ii) when the edges of the bundle of sheets on the intermediate stacker are trued up, the pair of rollers rotate in the reverse direction and the actuator brings the pair of rollers substantially in contact with each other, and (iii) when the bundle of sheets is delivered from the intermediate stacker to the sheet delivering section after the finisher has conducted the finishing process, the pair of rollers rotate in the regular direction when the pair of rollers are brought substantially in contact with each other.