APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR PROCESSING SHEETS OF DIFFERENT LENGTHS

Abstract: A method and apparatus for collecting sheets of different lengths in a tray (20; 30; 50) having a first part (21, 23; 31, 33; 51, 52) and a second part (25; 35; 53). A sheet is fed into the tray (20; 30; 50) from a place inter­ mediate said parts, the leading part of the sheet being directed into the first part (21, 23; 31, 33; 51, 52). The leading part of the sheet being fully in said first part, the trailing part of the sheet, in case the sheet has a length greater than the length of said first part, is directed into the second part (25; 35; 53) of the collecting tray (20; 30; 50). Collected sheets can be removed from the tray (20; 30; 50) together, by engaging said leading parts of the sheets, which rest on one another in the first part (21, 23; 31, 33; 51, 52) of the tray (20; 30; 50). In a compact apparatus the second part (25; 35; 53) of the tray con­ sists of a first portion (26) which adjoins the first part (21, 23; 31, 33; 51, 52) and from there extends downwardly in order to receive the trailing part of sheets of intermediate lenghts, and a second por­ tion (27) which adjoins the bottom point of the first portion (26) and from there extends upwardly in order to receive the trailing part of sheets of longer lengths than said intermediate lengths.

Description: This invention relates to an apparatus for processing sheets of different lengths comprising a sheet collecting tray having a first collecting part being directly accessible for sheet removal and a second collecting part adjoining the first collecting part at a transition, and a conveyor system for feeding sheets from the transition into the first collecting part. An apparatus of this kind is known from IBM Technical Disclosure Bulletin Vol.18, December 1975, pages 2059-2060, which describes a sheet collecting system with a copier, comprising a sheet collecting tray formed by a base and an abutment ledge adjoining a side of the baseplate remote from the copier, long copies being fed directly into the collecting tray by a first pair of conveyor rollers disposed a considerable distance in front of the abutment, and short copies, after passing the first pair of conveyor rollers, being deflected, by a sheet deflector which can be actuated selectively to a second pair of conveyor rollers situated nearer the abutment, the said second pair of conveyor rollers feeding the short copies into the collecting tray. This known apparatus is suitable for feeding sheets of different lengths to an abutment in a collecting tray. However, two pairs of conveyor rollers are required for this purpose, and a sheet deflector which has to be set to a specific position for processing short sheets in order to guide these short sheets via the second pair of rollers into the collecting tray. The result is a collecting system which is complex and occupies considerable space. Another apparatus of the kind referred to above is known from JP-A 58 68734. This latter apparatus is suitable for feeding small size copies with their trailing edge to a first abutment associated with the first collecting part and for feeding large size copies with their trailing edge to a second abutment associated with the second collecting part. The object of this invention is to provide a sheet processing apparatus which has a simple sheet collecting system to collect sheets of different lengths. In an apparatus according to the preamble, this object is achieved according to the invention in that the conveyor system is adapted for feeding sheets along a common path leading to the transition and in that guide means are provided which, when a sheet has a length greater than the first collecting part, guide the trailing part of said sheet into the second collecting part after feeding the leading part of said sheet to the first collecting part. As a result, sheets of different lengths can easily be collected in a collecting tray, the leading edge parts of the sheets resting on one another so that to remove deposited sheets only that part of the sheet collecting tray where the leading parts of deposited sheets arrive needs to be directly accessible. Preferably, the first collecting part and the second collecting part together form a collecting tray in which sheets having a length greater than the first collecting part can be stacked in the form of an inverted U. Consequently, the sheet processing apparatus can be made compact. Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description of three embodiments of a sheet processing apparatus, in the form of a copying machine, provided with a sheet collecting tray, reference being made to the accompanying drawings wherein: Fig. 1 represents a cross-section of a first embodiment, Fig. 2 represents a cross-section of a second embodiment, and Fig. 3 represents a cross-section of a third embodiment. The copying machines represented in Fig. 1 and 2 both comprise a photo-conductive drum 1 rotatable in the direction of the arrow. Disposed along the periphery of the drum 1 are a charging device 2, an imaging device 3, a developing device 4 and an image transfer device 5. The imaging device 3 consists of an optical array 6, e.g. a SELFOC fibre array, and a lamp 7 provided with a reflector 8. On the side of the optical array 6 remote from the photo-conductive drum 1 there is provided an original conveyor path 9. An original fed through conveyor path 9 from the machine operating side 10 in the direction indicated by an arrow, and illuminated by lamp 7, is imaged, by the optical array, as an upright image stripwise on the rotating photo-conductive drum 1 charged by charging device 2. Upon continuous rotation of the photo-conductive drum 1, the resulting charge image is developed by developing device 4 and this developed image is transferred directly in the image transfer device 5 to a sheet of copy material 11 and fixed thereon. This sheet is fed from a supply reel of copy material 12 in web form, the sheet being cut therefrom by cutter 13. Means (not shown) enable a sheet to be cut to the length of an original fed by conveyor path 9. The cut size may vary between a minimum size and a maximum size; only sheets between these sizes can be fed through the machine without obstruction and be collected in a sheet collector 15 which is situated beneath the original conveyor path 9 and is accessible from the copying machine operating side 10 for the removal of collected copy sheets. Three embodiments of the sheet collector 15 will now be described in succession. The sheet collector 15 represented in Fig. 1 comprises a path 16 along which finished copy sheets are fed by conveyor roller pairs 17, 18 and 19. The last pair of rollers 19 forms a conveying nip which feeds a sheet vertically downwards into a collecting tray 20 situated some distance beneath the pair of rollers 19. Collecting tray 20 comprises a baseplate 21 at an angle of 20° to the vertical. The baseplate 21 has an abutment ledge 23 along the bottom edge. This ledge 23 adjoins the wall of the copying machine on the machine operating side 10. An opening 24 for the removal of sheets on the baseplate 21 is formed in this wall. Openings are formed in the abutment ledge 23 and the bottom part of the baseplate 21 to facilitate engagement and removal of sheets on the baseplate 21. A part of the baseplate 21 situated a short distance beneath the top edge of the plate is situated straight below the conveying nip formed by the pair of rollers 19. The length of the baseplate measured between the bottom and top edges corresponds to the minimum length of a sheet that can be collected in the collector 15. A downwardly bent leaf spring 28 presses lightly on the baseplate 21 near the top edge of the plate. The top edge of the baseplate 21 is followed by a substantially U-shaped plate 25 which consists of a plate part 26 bent down in the form of an S, its centre part being parallel to the baseplate 21, and an upwardly bent plate part 27 which is substantially also parallel to the baseplate 21. The distance between the top edge of the sloping part of plate part 27 and the abutment 23 as measured along the tray surface corresponds to the maximum length of a sheet that can be collected in the collector. The sheet collector 15 represented in Fig. 1 is suitable for collecting sheets discharged consecutively whose length can vary at random between the said mimimum and maximum sizes. The operation of the above-described sheet collector 15 will now be explained by reference to an example, the miminum size corresponding to the length of an A4 sheet (297 mm) and the maximum size corresponding to the length of an A0 sheet (1200 mm). By way of example, Fig. 1 represents the situation in which an A4 sheet, an A2 sheet, an A0 sheet, an A1 sheet and again an A4 sheet are collected successively in the collecting tray 20. The first A4 sheet is fed straight down from the pair of rollers 19, the leading edge meeting the baseplate 21 a short distance from the top edge. The sheet then slides down along the baseplate 21 until the leading edge comes against the abutment ledge 23. The trailing edge of the sheet is now level with the top edge of the baseplate 21. Leaf spring 28 keeps the top part of the sheet more particularly pressed against the baseplate. The next sheet (A2) is pushed with its leading edge against the abutment ledge 23 in the same way. The trailing part of this sheet is at that moment still between the rollers 19. As conveyance continues, the A2 sheet will deflect outwards into the free space between rollers 19 and the top edge of the collecting tray 20 as indicated by broken line a in Fig. 1. After the trailing edge of the sheet has cleared the rollers 19 said part will hang down over the top part of S-shaped plate part 26 as indicated in the case of the A2 sheet in Fig. 1. The next sheet (A0) is again pushed against the abutment ledge 23 in the same way. As conveyance continues, this sheet will be deflected out further before being released by rollers 19; this intermediate position is indicated by line b . The released A0 sheet will then stop in the position indicated. The trailing part in these conditions rests against the sloping portion of plate part 27 thus avoiding the rolling up of the trailing part which would block the path to a subsequent sheet. The next sheet (A1) is deposited in substantially the same way as the A0 sheet; the only difference is that the trailing part of the sheet will now hang straight down in the U-shaped collecting part 25. The last sheet, an A4 sheet, is deposited on the previously collected sheets on base plate 21. The collected sheets can now be removed as a unit from the collecting tray 20 by engaging the sheets at the abutment ledge 23 and pulling them out of the copying machine through opening 24. The sheet collector 15 represented in Fig. 2 has a collecting tray 30 which in principle has the samme construction as the tray 20 represented in Fig. 1. The difference is that the baseplate 31 is longer than the baseplate 21 and the U-shaped plate 35 is shorter than the U-shaped plate 25. As a result of this shape it is also possible to collect long sheets having a very smooth surface without their easily sliding completely in the U-shaped collecting part. Baseplate 31 is also of hollow construction. As a result, the part of a stack of collected sheets which will be engaged to remove the stack is slightly bent so that the sheets can be directly rolled up easily on removal. The sheet collector represented in Fig. 2 also has a conveyor section consisting of a suction belt conveyor 36 which forms a bridge over the U-shaped collecting part 35 and which can convey a copy sheet, sucked tightly against the bottom of the belt 36, over the U-shaped collecting part 35. A deflector plate 37 is disposed a short distance above the transition of the baseplate 31 and the U-shaped plate 35 and co-operates with the suction belt 36 to deflect and guide on a sheet supplied by suction belt 36. A sheet deflector 38 is also provided at plate 37 and is movable between two positions, a solid-line position for deflecting a sheet fed along plate 37 in the direction of baseplate 31, and a broken-line position for directly discharging a sheet out of the copying machine along path 40 by means of discharge rollers 39, such sheet, for example, being one that is longer than the maximum sheet size that can be collected in the collecting tray 30 or a long sheet which is too rigid to be collected in the collecting tray 30. A rectuangular depression 42 is provided in the guide plate 41 forming the path 40, which depression is narrower than the width of the guide plate 41 to collect short sheets fitting in the depression. The operation of the collector represented in Fig. 2 will now be explained insofar as it differs from the collector represented in Fig. 1. When it is required to deposit sheets in the collecting tray 30, deflector 38 is set to the solid-line position. A finished copy is fed over the U-shaped collecting part 35 by suction belt 36 and its direction is changed successively by plate 37 and deflector 38 and it is fed over baseplate 31 as far as the abutment ledge 33. The time at which that takes place can be derived from the time at which the leading edge of said sheet is discharged from the cutting position at 13. Because of the fixed distance between the cutting position and the abutment ledge, there is a fixed period between both times at a given conveying speed. After expiry of that period the machine control system delivers a signal in response to which the suction effect of the conveyor 36 is interrupted, whereupon the trailing part of the sheet that not yet passed the suction belt is released and arrives in the U-shaped collecting part. Instead of using a suction belt at a bridge it is also possible to use a guide plate which is swung away when the leading edge of the sheet arrives at the abutment ledge. Due to the different shape of the collecting tray 30 and by the use of a bridging conveyor 36 it is possible to obtain an even more compact construction of a sheet collector than the collector according to Fig. 1, the construction being more particularly lower. The sheet collector 15 represented in Fig. 3 is provided with a collecting tray 50 comprising a horizontal baseplate 51. An abutment ledge 52 extends along the edge of the baseplate 51 facing the operating side 10 of the copying part. A plate 53 bent down in the form of a U adjoins that edge of the baseplate 51 which is situated opposite the abutment ledge 52. The baseplate 51 and collecting part formed by the U-shaped plate 53 together form the collecting tray 50. A biasing roller 55 is disposed in a fixed position above the baseplate 51. Roller 55 is freely rotatable in the direction of the arrow and has a unidirectional coupling which prevents the roller from rotating in the opposite direction. A spring 56 presses the baseplate 51 against the biasing roller 55. The baseplate 51 can be pressed down in opposite to the action of the spring 56 by means of sheets fed over the baseplate beneath roller 55. A conveyor belt 60 trained about rollers 58 and 59 is disposed a short distance above the collecting tray 50 and extends over the U-shaped collecting part formed by plate 53 and over the baseplate 51 as far as the abutment ledge 52. Conveyor belt 60 has a clamp 61 and a clamp 62 which each can receive the leading edge of a copy sheet discharged by the pair of conveyor rollers 63 from the copying section of the copying machine. Clamps 61 and 62 respectively are opened automatically when that part of the belt on which the associated clamp is fixed runs about roller 58 or roller 59, e.g. by means of a cam disposed on the rollers 58 and 59, and, are closed when that part of the belt passes through the rest of its trajectory. The baseplate 51 with the abutment ledge 52 is disposed in a slide (not shown) along which the baseplate 51 can be pulled out of the copying machine into a position shown in broken lines. The sheet collector represented in Fig. 3 operates as follows. In a starting position of the endless conveyor belt 60 represented in Fig. 3, clamp 61 occupies a postion in which rollers 63 feed a copy sheet into the open clamp 61. If the belt 60 then starts moving, the clamp 61 closes and the sheet is fed over the U-shaped collecting part and then over baseplate 51 and beneath biasing roller 55 as far as abutment ledge 52. On further movement of the belt 60 clamp 61 runs over roller 59 and in so doing releases the sheet held on the baseplate 51 by the biasing roller 55. The trailing part of the sheet is now fed into the U-shaped collecting part as the conveyor rollers 63 continue to be driven. On the conveyance of the sheet about the bottom relatively thin conveyor roller 63 the tendency of the rolled-up sheet material to curl is eliminated, thus preventing the trailing part of the sheet from curling inwards in the second collecting part and thus blocking the path of the next sheet. Subsequent sheets can then be deposited in the same way, these sheets being also retained on the baseplate 51 by the biasing roller 55. This prevents these sheets from sliding off the baseplate 51 and passing completely into the U-shaped collecting part. If a required stack of copy sheets is collected in collecting tray 50 in this way, the baseplate is pulled out of the copying machine, in which condition the biasing roller 55 rotates in the direction of the arrow while maintaining the contact pressure. The stack can now readily be engaged with the hand without the operator needing to bend, and can be fully withdrawn from the copying machine.

Claims: Apparatus for processing sheets of different lengths comprising a sheet collecting tray (20, 30, 50) having a first collecting part (21,23; 31,33; 51,52) being directly accessible for sheet removal and a second collecting part (25; 35; 53) adjoining the first collecting part (21,23; 31,33; 51,52) at a transition and a conveyor system (19; 36; 60) for feeding sheets from the transition into the first collecting part (21,23; 31,33; 51,52) characterised in that the conveyor system (19; 36; 60) is adapted for feeding sheets along a common path (16) leading to the transition and in that guide means are provided which, when a sheet has a length greater than the first collecting part (21, 31, 51), guide the trailing part of said sheet into the second collecting part (25; 35; 53) after feeding the leading part of said sheet to the first collecting part (21,23; 31,33; 51,52). Apparatus according to claim 1, characterised in that the first collecting part (21, 23; 31, 33; 51, 52) and the second collecting part (25; 35; 53) together form a collecting tray (20; 30; 50) in which sheets having a length greater than the first collecting part (21; 31; 51) can be stacked in the form of an inverted U. Apparatus according to claim 2, characterised in that the second collecting part (25; 35; 53) consists of two portions, a first portion (26) for collecting the trailing part of sheets whose length is greater than the length of the first collecting part (21; 31; 51) and not greater than the combined length of the first portion and the first collecting part, and a second portion (27) for collecting sheets of an even greater length together with the first portion (26) and the first collecting part (21, 23; 31, 33; 51, 52). Apparatus according to claim 3, characterised in that the first collecting part (21; 31; 51) and the second collecting part (25; 35; 53) together form a collecting tray (20; 30; 50) in which the sheets having the greater length are stacked in the form of a S. Apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the conveyor system (19) is disposed some distance above the transition between the first collecting part (21, 23) and the second collecting part (25) to form a space which is in open communication with the second collecting part (25) in order to guide, into the second collecting part (25), the trailing part of a sheet having a length greater than the first collecting part (21, 23). Apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 4, characterised in that the conveyor system (36) can be set into two states, a first active state in which a sheet can be fed over the second collecting part (35), to the first collecting part (31) and a second inactive state in which the conveyor system (36) frees the top of the second collecting part (35) to receive the trailing part of that sheet in the second collecting part (35) and in that control means are provided which bring the conveyor system (36) from the first state into the second state when the leading part of said sheet has been fed into the first collecting part (31). Apparatus according to claim 6, characterised in that the conveyor system consists of a suction belt conveyor (36) which in the active state can retain by suction a sheet fed into the sheet collecting tray (30). Apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 4, characterised in that the conveyor system consists of a conveyor belt (60) provided with at least one clamp (61, 62) which can be set into an active state in which the clamp can retain the leading edge of a sheet fed in the sheet collecting tray (50) in order to guide said sheet over the second collecting part (53) to the first collecting part (51). A method of collecting sheets of different lengths in a sheet collecting tray (20; 30; 50), whereby the sheets are guided by their leading edge to a part of the collecting tray (20; 30; 50) which part is situated intermediate opposite ends of the sheet collecting tray and from that intermediate part into a portion (21; 31; 51) of the collecting tray which portion is situated on one side of that intermediate part, characterised in that the sheets are guided to said intermediate part along a common path (16) and in that thereafter and in the case of a sheet of length greater than the length of that portion of the collecting tray into which the leading edge of said sheet is fed, the trailing part of said sheet is guided into that portion (25; 35; 53) of the collecting tray which is situated on the other side of the intermediate part.

Inventors: TER HORST, GERHARDUS ENGELBERTUS ROMUALDUS
Applicants: OCE-NEDERLAND B.V.
Application year: 1987
Main classification: G03G15
IPC codes: B41J15, B65H31, B65H29, G03G15