Minolta Camera Kabushiki Kaisha

Minolta Company, Ltd.

Minolta Camera Kaisha

Keichi Kinoshita

Toshio Matsui

Hiroki Yamashita

Akiyoshi Johdai

Kazuhito Ozawa

Wataru Kurahashi

Katsuya Yasuda

Hirokazu Yamada

Kuniaki Ishiguro

Yoshiaki Takano

Kazuyuki Kubota

Shizuo Yuge

Akio Kato

Yoshio Sakagawa

Yoshihiro Shojo

Takeshi Yoshikai

Tadashi Maruyama

Yasuhiro Doi

Masaya Ohta

A double-side digital copier reads an image on documents fed into an image reading unit in accordance with a predetermined cycle based on copying conditions such as the number of copies to be made and single/double-side copying, and the number of documents and copy sheets temporarily maintained in the respective circulation paths formed therein. Further the image data obtained by that reading are stored in two memories alternately, one of the memories alone, or both the memories in a predetermined order in accordance with the predetermined cycle, and are read out in a corresponding order, optimizing throughput without increasing the manufacturing costs.

Digital copier for two-sided reading using various writing modes

An image forming apparatus according to the present invention contains an original set tray on which originals are set, image reading system for reading an image on the original, image forming system for forming an image on a sheet on the basis of the image on the original read by the image reading system, an original discharge tray onto which the originals from which the images have been respectively read are discharged, an automatic document feeder for leading the originals set on the original set tray to the position of the image reading system one original at a time, and then discharging the original onto the original discharge tray, a plurality of sheet discharge trays onto which the sheets respectively having the images formed thereon are discharged, distributing system for distributing the sheets respectively having the images formed thereon among the plurality of sheet discharge trays, and a stapler relatively movable in the positions of the original discharge tray and the plurality of sheet discharge trays.

Image forming apparatus comprising a stapler relatively movable in the

A sheet sorting device having a plurality of bins arranged vertically for accommodating sheets transported by a sheet transporting device and a sheet adjusting member provided in a vertical direction with respect to the sheet transporting device. One of the bins which faces a sheet aligning member is slid horizontally thereto by a moving mechanism so as to align a sheet accommodated in each bin by the sheet aligning member by pushing the sheet to an aligning reference portion formed by adjacent two sides of each bin. The sheet sorting device further has a stapler in the vicinity of the sheet aligning member to staple the sheets aligned by the sheet aligning member. At least either the bins or the aligning member and sheet transporting device is capable of being elevated up and down so as to transport sheets to each bin by the sheet transport device while the sheet aligning member aligns the sheet transported to the bin one by one.

Sorter with sheet aligning member

A sheet refeeding apparatus which comprises a belt laid between a first and a second shafts, wherein as the belt is wound around the first shaft, copy sheets ejected from a copying machine are wound around the first shaft together with the belt, and as the belt is wound around the second shaft, the sheets wound around the first shaft are fed out thereof back to the copying machine. In collecting sheets, the first shaft is rotated in the same direction as that of the rotation of a photosensitive drum, and a sheet turn-over section is disposed upstream of the belt with respect to sheet conveying direction. Marks are provided for the belt to recognize the position of the belt. An initial position mark is given to the belt, and the mark functions as a standard for a return of the belt to the initial position on a supply of power for the apparatus or on the completion of a sheet refeeding operation. Further, when a sheet is detected being fed out of the belt during the return of the belt to the initial position, it is judged that a paper jam has occurred, and the returning operation is discontinued. The sheet refeeding apparatus comprises an ejection path through which sheets are ejected directly outside of the apparatus, an ejection path cover which is capable of opening and closed, and a switch for requesting coercive ejection of sheets. The switch is operative from the outside only when the cover is in an open state, and when the switch is operated, sheets are ejected onto the cover. Furthermore, the drive of the belt is controlled, when collecting sheets, to reduce the intervals among the sheets, when feeding the sheets out of the collecting section back to the copying machine, to gain the intervals among the sheets and when ejecting the sheets outside of the apparatus, to keep the intervals among the sheets as they were collected. The coercive ejection is allowed only when a sheet which is unnecessary for the sheet refeeding is included.

Copying apparatus provided with a roll-up type sheet refeeding unit

A sheet storing apparatus wherein sheets ejected from a copying machine one after another are stacked in order, and the sheets are supplied to the copying machine again. The apparatus comprises a sheet storing unit wherein sheets are stored, a transporter for transporting sheets to the storing unit, a regulator for preventing sheets supported by a sheet support surface of the storing unit from moving back toward the entrance thereof, a pressure member for pressing each sheet transported to the unit against the support surface and a refeeder for feeding out the stored sheets one by one. Each time a sheet is transported to the unit, the pressure member presses the sheet, whereby the end of the sheet passes through the regulator to be put between the support surface and the regulator. Also, in feeding sheets out of the unit, the pressure member presses the sheet stack against the refeeder. The pressure member has a mechanism for adjusting the pressure on the sheet stack in proportion to the thickness of the stack. Each time a sheet is transported to the unit, the timing of actuating the pressure member is determined, and the position of the pressure member is detected. When it is not detected that the pressure member is in a pressing position within a specified time after a timing signal was generated, a controller judges that a sheet jam has occurred.

Sheet storing apparatus for sheets ejected from a copying machine

A copying system including an image forming device for forming an image on each of the sheets, a sheet refeeding device for successively accommodating the first copied sheets, and successively refeeding same, after the first image forming is finished, to the image forming device, to form a second image thereon, the copying system inputting the number of sheets to be copied, detecting a sheet size, determining the maximum copiable number of sheets corresponding to the detected sheet size, wherein the sheet refeeding device includes a first winding device, a second winding device and a web extended on the first and second winding device, wherein the web is wound around the first winding device while supporting the sheets thereon so as to accommodate the sheets on the first winding device, and wherein the web is unwound from the first winding device and wound around the second winding device so as to feed the sheets for the image forming process.

Copying system having a sheet refeed device

A paper container has a finisher unit which comprises transporting rollers to transport copying papers ejected from a copying machine to a tray, a paddle wheel to transport a copying paper to a reference member for alignment immediately after a trailing edge of the copying paper leaves the transporting rollers, and a stapler to staple the copying papers aligned on the tray. The paper container also has a stack unit to stack the stapled papers. The stack unit is permanently secured onto the image forming device, or an distance between the stack unit and the finisher unit is arbitrarily adjusted, while the finisher unit is attached to the image forming device and detached if so required.

Paper container with a paper binding function

A sheet storing apparatus comprising a tray for receiving sheets ejected from a copying machine, a first shift unit for reciprocating the tray in the direction perpendicular to the ejection of sheets, an aligning member for aligning the sheets on the tray, which is in contact with the surface of the top of the sheets on the tray and a second shift unit for shifting the aligning member in the same direction as that of the shifting of the tray. The sheets are divided by the shifting of the tray every time a set of sheets finishes to be transported onto the tray, and the aligning member is shifted synchronized with the shifting of the tray. Further, the sheet storing apparatus is provided with a rotatable ejection roller for transporting sheets onto the tray and a round transport member which is in contact with the ejection roller and rotatable together with the rotation of the ejection roller, and through between which and the ejection roller the sheets are transported onto the tray, and the ejection roller is shifted in the direction perpendicular to the ejection of sheets synchronized with the shifting of the tray.

Sheet storing apparatus provided for a copying machine

A copy sheet stack apparatus stacks copy sheets discharged from an image-forming device and binds them be means of a staple. The apparatus comprises a first accommodating device for accommodating copy sheets discharged from the image-forming device, a staple device for binding by way of the staple the copy sheets accommodated into the first accommodating device, a second accommodating device disposed below the first accommodating device to accommodate a bundle of the copy sheets bound be means of the staple, a fall device for making the bundle of the copy sheets bound by way of the staple fall from the first accommodating device to accommodate into the second accommodating device by its own weight, and a guide device disposed between the first accommodating device and the second accommodating device to guide the bundle of the copy sheets fallen from the first accommodating device to the second accommodating device. The guide device has a curl device for curling each bundle of the copy sheets in a direction intersecting perpendicularly to a bundle discharging direction so as to make each bundle thereof get rigid to smooth discharge it.

Copy sheet stack apparatus

A sheet storing apparatus comprising a tray for receiving sheets ejected from a copying machine, a first shift unit for reciprocating the tray in the direction perpendicular to the ejection of sheets, an aligning member for aligning the sheets on the tray, which is in contact with the surface of the top of the sheets on the tray and a second shift unit for shiting the aligning member in the same direction as that of the shifting of the tray. The sheets are divided by the shifting of the tray every time a set of sheets finishes to be transported onto the tray, and the aligning member is shifted synchronized with the shifting of the tray. Further, the sheet storing apparatus is provided with a rotatable ejection roller for transporting sheets onto the tray and a round transport member which is in contact with the ejection roller and rotatable together with the rotation of the ejection roller, and through between which and the ejection roller and sheets are transported onto the tray, and the ejection roller is shifted in the direction perpendicular to the ejection of sheets synchronized with the shifting of the tray.

A sheet handling apparatus comprising a stapling tray for receiving sheets ejected from a copying machine and a stamp for stamping on the sheets in the stapling tray, wherein the surface of the stapling tray facing the stamp is made of soft and elastic material to reduce friction. The sheets are selectively stapled or stapled and stamped, and the stamping operation is performed after the stapling operation. Further, the sheet handling apparatus comprises an ejection tray for receiving sheets ejected for the copying machine, an elevate block for elevating and lowering the ejection tray, a linking mechanism for actuating the stamp to stamp on the sheets in connection with the movement of the ejection tray driven by the elevate block.

Sheet handling apparatus provided for a copying machine

An apparatus for storing the sheets discharged from a copying machine or the like vertically for subsequent refeeding of the sheets to the copying machine, comprises side regulating plates for regulating the side ends of the stored sheet, a lower regulating plate for regulating the lower end of the stored sheet, a guide member for guiding each of the sheets transported downward to the lower regulating plate and holding the sheet in a widthwise deflected condition, a paddle wheel for urging each of the sheets downward, a refeeding belt for refeeding the stored sheets, and a separation pad for preventing the sheets from being refed in plurality of a time by contacting the refeeding belt. The side regulating plates are moved back and forth, the lower regulating plate is moved donward and upward, the refeeding belt is rotated backward, and the separation pad is moved away from the refeeding belt in response to the detection signal from a sensor with respect to each of the sheets being refed.

Sheet storing apparatus for copying machine

A copying apparatus includes an image forming device, a sheet reversal mechanism, and a sheet holding device having a tray, each of the components being independently separable. The sheet reversal mechanism transports to the tray each sheet either in face-up condition or with its face turned downward. The tray is lowered according to the volume of sheets loaded thereon and is caused to shift on a horizontal plane under a specified timing control. The lowering of the tray is effected through detection by a sensor of the volume of sheets loaded on the tray. After each such lowering, any downward movement of the tray is inhibited until a next sheet is loaded on the tray.

Copying apparatus having a device for holding sheets

An apparatus for storing papers ejected from a copying machine or the like and stapling them after alignment, comprises a contacting member which contacts each paper being transported into a stapling tray to urge the paper for alignment in a specified portion, and a plurality of pressing members for pressing the transported papers at the upper portion thereof against the tray, each of the pressing members is individually adapted correspondingly to the sizes of papers. The contact between the contacting member and the papers is relieved when the stapled papers are discharged from the tray. The pressing members are actuated in conjunction with the paper transporting operation correspondingly to the size of papers. The contacting member is arranged at a location less distant from transport rollers for transporting papers into the tray than the length of paper in the direction of transporting paper on the tray.

Paper handling apparatus with a paper stapling function

A copying apparatus comprises an image forming device, an automatic document feeder which has a document circulating function and a paper container which has a stapling function. The copying apparatus allows the selection either a stapling mode to staple copying papers or a non-stapling mode. If the non-stapling mode is selected during the stapling mode copying operation, the apparatus can execute the non-stapling mode for the rest of sets of copying papers after the completion of the stapling operation for the currently processed a set of copying papers.

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Osaka, Japan

Keichi Kinoshita