Patent ID: 7182333

Claim:
A sheet-like medium alignment apparatus comprising; an ejecting means configured to eject a sheet-like medium; a loading means on which the sheet-like medium ejected by the ejecting means is loaded, the loading means being substantially slanted for guiding toward and hitting an end of the sheet-like medium on an upstream side in a direction of ejection by the ejecting means to a vertical wall provided at an alignment position; and a retaining means configured to retain the sheet-like medium already loaded on the loading means such that the already loaded sheet-like medium is not shifted to a downstream side in the direction of ejection by the sheet-like medium ejected on the loading means by the ejecting means, whereby the sheet-like medium alignment apparatus is configured to align and load the sheet-like medium ejected on the loading means with the ejecting means by pressing the end of said sheet-like medium on the upstream side in the direction of ejection by said ejecting means against the vertical wall provided at the alignment position; wherein said retaining means is configured to be movable between at least a first position as a waiting position separated from the sheet-like medium already loaded on the loading means, a second position for retaining the sheet-like medium already loaded on the loading means, and a third position separated from the already loaded sheet-like medium between the first position and the second position.