Patent ID: 7451977

Claim:
A method of operating a document stacker having a receiving platform which has a top major side surface and a bottom major side surface, a stacking plate which is disposed on one side of the receiving platform and which is biased towards the receiving platform, and a plunger which is disposed on an opposite side of the receiving platform and which is movable relative to the receiving platform, the method comprising: receiving a document on the top major side surface of the receiving platform; moving the plunger towards the receiving platform to push the document through an opening in the receiving platform and towards the stacking plate to stack the document on the stacking plate; changing position of the receiving platform from a substantially flat profile to a substantially wide V-shaped profile such that the receiving platform cups the document as the document is being pushed through the opening in the receiving platform and stacked on the stacking plate; and moving the plunger away from the stacking plate and back through the opening in the receiving platform to allow the biasing force acting on the stacking plate to move the document which has just been stacked on the stacking plate into compression against the bottom major side surface of the receiving platform and thereby to reduce the chance of a stacking defect from occurring when a succeeding document is subsequently stacked on top of the document which has just been stacked on the stacking plate.