Patent ID: 8113513

Claim:
A sheet processing apparatus comprising: a sheet conveying portion configured to convey a sheet in a direction crossing a sheet discharging direction and to move in an up-and-down direction to be separable from and come into contact with the sheet; a cross-directionally moving portion configured to move the sheet conveying portion in the direction crossing the sheet discharging direction; an up-and-down directionally moving portion configured to move the sheet conveying portion in the up-and-down direction; a cross-side restricting member configured to receive one side edge of the sheet moved by the sheet conveying portion in the direction crossing the sheet discharging direction to align the one side edge, said one side edge of the sheet being along the sheet discharging direction; and a controller which controls said cross-directionally moving portion and said up-and-down directionally moving portion, wherein said controller is configured to control: (i) movement of said sheet conveying portion by said up-and-down directionally moving portion from a separated position, where said sheet conveying portion is separated from the sheet and is distant from said cross-side restricting member, to a press-contact position, where said sheet conveying portion press-contacts an upper surface of the sheet, (ii) movement of said sheet conveying portion by said cross-directionally moving portion in the direction of said cross-side restricting member from the press-contact position while press-contacting the upper surface of the sheet by said sheet conveying portion, (iii) separation of said sheet conveying portion from the sheet by said up-and-down directionally moving portion, and (iv) movement of said sheet conveying portion, separated from the sheet, by said cross-directionally moving portion in a direction of the separated position and which intersects with sheet discharging direction, and wherein the press-contact position is a position between the cross-side restricting member and the other side edge of the sheet that is not received by the cross-side restricting member.