Patent ID: 8439342

Claim:
A sheet processing apparatus, comprising: a process tray onto which a sheet is stacked; an aligning member that conveys the sheet toward a sheet edge regulating member arranged on an upstream end portion of the process tray in a first contact state in which the aligning member is in contact with the sheet, so that the aligning member urges a leading edge of the sheet against the sheet edge regulating member; a conveying member configured to convey the sheet on the process tray toward the aligning member; and a switching member that switches a state of the aligning member between the first contact state where, at a contact position in which the aligning member comes into contact with the sheet conveyed onto the process tray, the aligning member is in contact with the sheet on the process tray and a first non-contact state where the aligning member is spaced apart from the process tray, the switching member switching a state of the conveying member between a second contact state where the conveying member is in contact with the sheet on the process tray and a second non-contact state where the conveying member is spaced apart from the process tray, wherein the switching member maintains the aligning member in the first non-contact state until the sheet reaches the contact position on the process tray, and switches the aligning member from the first non-contact state to the first contact state after the sheet conveyed onto the process tray reaches the contact position, and wherein the switching member switches the conveying member from the second contact state to the second non-contact state before the sheet conveyed by the aligning member contacts the sheet edge regulating member.