Patent ID: 7380785

Claim:
A sheet discharge apparatus comprising: discharge means for discharging a sheet, storage means for receiving the sheet discharged from the discharge means, an alignment reference member for aligning at least one side of the sheet discharged to the storage means, and a rotating body rotating in a direction different from a direction that the discharge means discharges the sheet, said rotating body contacting the sheet before the sheet discharged from the discharge means to the storage means is placed in the storage means so that the sheet discharged to the storage means is moved to the alignment reference member, wherein said rotating body contacts the sheet while the sheet is being discharged from the discharge means in a state that the rotating body rotates in a direction that the rotating body moves the sheet to the alignment reference member; support means for supporting the rotating body to move freely between an activating position to contact the sheet discharged from the discharge means and a retracted position away from the sheets discharged from the discharge means; and control means for controlling the support means to move the rotating body from the retracted position to the activating position so that the rotating body contacts a portion of the sheet discharged from the discharge means away from a trailing edge of the sheet in a discharge direction by a predetermined distance regardless of a sheet discharge reference and a size of the sheet.