Patent ID: 7255341

Claim:
A sheet handling apparatus including: a main unit; a sheet validating device for determining whether a sheet received from outside is valid or not, the sheet validating device being provided in the main unit; a sheet receiving unit, which is detachable from the main unit; a sheet feed device for feeding the sheet, which is determined as valid, by the sheet validating device to the sheet receiving unit; a plurality of stopper walls disposed in the sheet receiving unit; a sheet support plate slidably arranged in the sheet receiving unit, the sheet support plate having a sheet support plane which is urged toward at least one side of the stopper walls; a sheet push plate arranged at the other side of the stopper walls so as to face the sheet support plane, the sheet push plate moving the sheet fed to the sheet receiving unit through the sheet feed device, toward the sheet support plane while pushing the sheet; and a push device for rotating the sheet push plate downward while retaining a parallel relation between a sheet push plane of the sheet push plate and the sheet support plane of the sheet support plate, thereby the sheet push plate draws and separates the sheet fed to the sheet receiving unit from the sheet feed device and pushes the sheet to the sheet support plane of the sheet support plate, wherein the push device is constructed from a parallel crank mechanism connected to the sheet push plate, wherein the parallel crank mechanism comprises: a first link with a first end which is rotatably connected to a first rotational center positioned at an upper part of the sheet push plate; a second link with a first end which is rotatably connected to a second rotational center positioned at a lower part of the sheet push plate; a first shaft which is connected to a third rotational center positioned at a a first shaft which is connected to a third rotational center positioned at a second end opposite to the first end in the first link, the second end being rotatable around the first shaft; and a second shaft which is connected to a fourth rotational center positioned at a second end opposite to the first end in the second link, the second end being rotatable around the second shaft; whereby the parallel crank mechanism constructs a quadric chain mechanism, and wherein a first distance between the first rotational center and the second rotational center equals to a second distance between the third rotational center and the fourth rotational center, wherein a third distance between the first rotational center and the third rotational center equals to a fourth distance between the second rotational center and the fourth rotational center, and wherein a fixed link connecting the third rotational center and the fourth rotational center is arranged substantially parallel with a movement direction of the sheet fed out from the sheet feed device.